Tags
baking from scratch, baking pan equivalents, can I use a different pan?, comfort food, Food Dork Fridays, food dork trivia, food science, housewife, mother of boys, the science of baking
I’m following a slight tangent in relation to food science, just long enough to share a very useful chart that I’ve had hanging on the side of my refrigerator for as long as I can remember. This handy-dandy chart outlines volume equivalents for various cake, loaf, tube pans, cupcake tins, pie plates, etc.
I can honestly say that I have no idea where the chart originated from. My own chart has been splattered with just about every type of batter known to man; over the years I’ve made so many notations and adjustments that it is high time that I retyped the dang thing so that I can again have a legible copy on the ‘fridge.
Is this cake pan conversion chart absolutely perfect? Well, I think so! I should note that since every brand of baking pan differs slightly, take this as my friendly little disclaimer that your results may be not be exactly the same as mine–but they should be darn-near close.
General Rules: When baking in a pan other than what is called for in a recipe, the baking time (not the temperature) will need to be increased or decreased based on the volume of the batter, in relation to the width and depth of the pans.
For example, let’s say I follow a recipe for an 8-inch round layer cake, but once the batter is made, I realize that my boys have absconded with my 8-inch round pans. Since the volume of batter remains unchanged regardless of the pans I bake it in, I can instead bake it in two 9 x 4 inch loaf pans. I will, however, need to extend the baking time because the loaf pans have a smaller surface area and a greater depth than that of the round pans.
Wait. What?
A loaf pan is taller and not as wide as a round pan. Our FDF discussion on heat told us that convection currents cause batters bake from the outside in; so the batter, being denser in the taller pan, will take longer to bake than in the more shallow pan.
The opposite is true when using a larger or shallower pan than dictated by a recipe. If I were to follow a recipe calling for a 9 x 13 inch pan, but instead I decided to bake the batter in a half sheet pan, the half-sheet pan will bake the batter in less time than required by the 9 x 13, because the half-sheet is more shallow, with a greater surface area. Cupcakes will bake even faster for the same reasons.
A Word of Caution: While I’ve outlined volume equivalents for various baking pans, do not forget the important roll that leavening plays in the grand scheme of things. Extended baking times for deeper pans may mean that the leavening exhausts itself before the batter has finished baking–this can result in a cake that is beautiful around the edges with a sunken middle. Such an occurrence, while tragic, can sometimes be salvaged with a little creativity on the fly.
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Baking Pan Conversion Chart
http://comfortablydomestic.com
| Recipe Calls For: | Batter Volume: | Can Be Substituted: |
| 1 (8-inch) round cake pan | 4 cups | 1 (8 x 4)-inch loaf pan, or
1 (9-inch) round cake pan, or 1 (9-inch) pie plate 12 (standard) cupcakes |
| 2 (8-inch) round cake pans | 8 cups | 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans
1 (9-inch) tube pan 2 (9-inch) round cake pans 1 (10-inch) Bundt pan 1 (11 x 7-inch) baking dish 1 (10-inch) springform pan 24 (standard) cupcakes |
| 1 (9-inch) round cake pan | 6 cups | 1 (8-inch) round cake pan
1 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pan 1 (11 x 7-inch) baking dish 18 (standard) cupcakes |
| 2 (9-inch) round cake pans | 12 cups | 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans
1 (9-inch) tube pan 2 (8-inch) round cake pans 1 (10-inch) Bundt pan 2 (11 x 7-inch) baking dishes 1 (10-inch) springform pan 36 (standard) cupcakes |
| 1 (10-inch) round cake pan | 11 cups | 2 (8-inch) round cake pans
1 (9-inch) tube pan 1 (10-inch) springform pan 32 (standard) cupcakes |
| 2 (10-inch) round cake pans | 22 cups | 5 (8-inch) round cake pans
3 or 4 (9-inch) round cake pans 2 (10-inch) springform pans 64 (standard) cupcakes |
| 9-inch tube pan | 12 cups | 2 (9-inch) round cake pans
2 (8-inch) round cake pans 1 (10-inch) Bundt pan 36 (standard) cupcakes |
| 10-inch tube pan | 16 cups | 3 (9-inch) round cake pans
2 (10-inch) pie plates 2 (9-inch) deep dish pie plates 4 (8-inch) pie plates 2 (9×5-inch) loaf pans 2 (8-inch) square baking dishes 2 (9-inch) square baking dishes 48 (standard) cupcakes |
| 10-inch Bundt pan | 12 cups | 1 (9×13-inch) baking dish
2 (9-inch) round cake pans 2 (8-inch) round cake pans 1 (9-inch) tube pan 2 (11×7-inch) baking dishes 1 (10-inch) springform pan 36 (standard) cupcakes |
| 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish | 6 cups | 1 (8-inch) square baking dish
1 (9-inch) square baking dish 1 (9-inch) round cake pan 18 (standard) cupcakes |
| 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish | 15 cups | 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake pan
2 (9-inch) round cake pans 3 (8-inch) round cake pans 1 (10 x 15-inch) jellyroll pan 42 (standard) cupcakes |
| 10 x 15 x 1-inch jelly roll pan | 15 cups | 1 (10-inch) Bundt pan
2 (9-inch) round cake pans 2 (8-inch) round cake pans 1 (9 x 13-inch) baking dish 42 (standard) cupcakes |
| 9 x 5-inch loaf pan | 8 cups | 1 (9 x 2-inch) deep dish pie plate
1 (10-inch) pie plate 1 (8-inch) square baking dish 1 (9-inch) square baking dish 24 (standard) cupcakes |
| 8 x 4-inch loaf pan | 6 cups | 1 (8-inch) round cake pan
1 (11 x 7-inch) baking dish 18 (standard) cupcakes |
| 9-inch springform pan | 10 cups | 1 (10-inch) round cake pan
1 (10-inch) springform pan 2 (8-inch) round cake pans 2 (9-inch) round cake pans 30 (standard) cupcakes |
| 10-inch springform pan | 12 cups | 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans
1 (9-inch) tube pan 2 (9-inch) round cake pans 1 (10-inch) Bundt pan 2 (11 x 7-inch) baking dishes 2 (8-inch) round cake pans 36 (standard) cupcakes |
| 8-inch square baking dish | 8 cups | 1 (9 x 2-inch) deep dish pie plate
1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan 2 (8-inch) pie plates 24 (standard) cupcakes |
| 9-inch square baking dish | 8 cups | 1 (11 x 7-inch) baking dish
1 (9 x 2-inch) deep dish pie plate 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan 2 (8-inch) pie plates 24 (standard) cupcakes |
