Fluted Cake Pan vs Original Bundt Pan 12 Cup: which is safer?

Original Bundt Pan 12 Cup is the clear pick. Le Creuset Fluted Cake Pan carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Le Creuset Fluted Cake Pan

Le Creuset

Fluted Cake Pan

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 33/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

enameled cast iron

Confidence

82%

PossibleLead and cadmium in enamel glaze

LikelyEnamel coating degradation and chipping

ReportedThermal shock and spalling

Our pick

Nordic Ware

Original Bundt Pan 12 Cup

PFAS grade

Excellent 95/100

Overall grade

Excellent 87/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Cast iron with natural seasoning

Confidence

88%

PossibleCoating degradation over time

PossibleRust or iron oxidation from improper storage

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Lead and cadmium in enamel glaze, Enamel coating degradation and chipping and Thermal shock and spalling on the Le Creuset and not on the Nordic Ware.
  • We flag Coating degradation over time and Rust or iron oxidation from improper storage on the Nordic Ware and not on the Le Creuset.
  • The Le Creuset is enameled cast iron where the Nordic Ware is Cast iron with natural seasoning, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 30 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Nordic Ware is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More bundt pans, see the full ranking