Difference between two 6" cake pans

[newchef]

OK, so this is my very first time baking a cake (!) and I have a recipe that calls for two 6" cake pans.  I'm going to purchase two Magic Line cake pans, but this company offers a 6 x 2" model and a 6 x 3" model.  Is one better than the other, or does the depth not matter too much?

Thanks for answering my rookie question!

[pastrygirl]

The depth doesn't matter that much. 2" is sufficient for most normal sized layers. I would only consider 3" if I was making a tall cheesecake or was going to use the pan as a mold to set layers of cake and mousse. 

[cakewalk]

Agree with pastrygirl, but since you're starting to build up your kitchen stuff from scratch, I'd say go for the 3" pans. They'll do everything the 2" pans do, plus other stuff that you'll eventually grow into if you keep baking. (Although I just looked and I see there's a significant price difference, so that might be a deciding factor.)

[newchef]

Thanks for the help everyone!  I may just get the 3" pans if they allow me to do more down the line.

[quiet1]

Another vote for the 3", especially if you plan to experiment with recipes. I've had some impressively messy disasters testing out new recipes when the leavening amounts were off and the thing puffed up beyond all expectations and similar catastrophes. (I knew the amounts were off, I just wanted to see how it turned out if I did it as written. I incorrectly predicted the amount of mess it would make.)