Published: · Modified: by Helen S Fletcher · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments
Pan size conversion is one of the most confusing elements of baking whether it is substituting square pans for round pans or for the same shape pans in smaller or larger size.
The easiest way to convert the amount of batter is to use square inches so long as the depth of the pans are the same.
You will notice that square pans of the same size cannot be substituted for round ones if you wish the layers to be the same depth. When converting from round to square pans it takes approximately ⅓ more batter for the square ones.
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If you are going from a 2” to a 3” pan of the same shape, increase the amount by ⅓.
When you are changing the size, the temperature of the oven remains the same but the time may need to be adjusted up or down depending upon the thickness of the layers.
In my recipes, I give the weights of the finished batter as well as how much should go in each pan. For instance, if a base layer weighs 750 grams or 26 ounces, it can easily be divided into different size layers. This allows you to use a base recipe with different fillings requiring a different number of layers without recalculating each time, making pan size conversions very easy. Using the 750 grams you could make:
2 - 9” layers at 375 grams or 13 ounces each 3 - 9” layers at 250 grams each or 9 ounces each 4 - 9” layers at 185 grams each or 6 ½ ounces each
CALCULATING SQUARE INCHES FOR SQUARE OR RECTANGULAR PANS: For the square pan, multiply two sides of the pan. For instance for an 8 inch square pan, multiply 8x8 = 64 square inches. For a rectangle, simply take the measurements of the long side and the short side of a rectangular one and multiply them, i.e. 9x13=117 square inches.
The formula is:Divide the diameter of the pan in half to obtain the radius. The radius is simply ½ the size of the pan. Multiply that number by itself and then multiply that number by pi which is 3.14.
For instance, the radius of a 9” pan is 4.5 inches.
4.5x4.5 = 20.25 inches. 20.25x3.14 = 63.58 which would round off to 64 square inches.
You can see from these measurements, that the batter for a 9" square pan would make one 10" round one. The numbers will not be exact, but as long as they are close they will be fine.
A SECOND WAY to determine pan size is to measure the amount in a pan by cups. I have never used this method as weights are more exact and so much easier.
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Comments
Chipsays
Thanks so much for this work. Math is above my pay grade. You have a new follower!
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Helen S Fletchersays
Hi Chip - Transparency demands that I let you know I had to ask my brother, an aeronautical engineer for a bit of help with the cubic inches. We had tons of engineers in the family and all I could ever do is add, subtract, multiply and divide. Sure I was a disappoint when it came to math! Welcome aboard.
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Debrasays
Not from what I see you have some awesome stuff and I appreciate your website I am joining the rest.
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Helen S Fletchersays
Thank you Debra. I am happy to have you join us.
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Mary Soucysays
As always you are a wealth of information. I always look forward to your posts in my email! :)
At your suggestion, I would love any tutorials you can put together on baking breads -- maybe French or Italian -- but totally your choice. Breads are about my favorite things to bake. I am always looking for tips and recipes from a pro.
Thank you for all your efforts!
Reply
hfletchersays
Hi Mary: How apropos you should suggest bread. I have always loved baking bread also, and I am working on a post regarding yeast. If I finish it for next Monday, then a bread will appear on Thursday. Thanks for the suggestion.
1. If the tin is smaller you will generally need to extend the baking time as the batter will be deeper in the pan and therefore will take longer to bake. On the flip slide, if the cake pan is larger the batter won't be as deep and will take less time.
An 8” square pan and 9” round pan can be used interchangeably for cake and bar recipes. A recipe written for a 9” x 13” pan can also be made in two 9” round pans; one 9” round and one 8” round, or two 8” round pans. Baking times may vary due to slightly different depths of batter in the various pan combinations.
Here's a standard conversion for many basic cake recipes: A recipe that makes three 8-inch layers will make two 9-inch layers, one 13-by-9 inch sheet, or three to four dozen cupcakes.
The area of a 9x13 pan is 117 square inches. The area of a 8x8 pan on the other hand, is 64 square inches, or close to half that of a 9x13 pan. This means you can scale a recipe down from a 9x13 pan to an 8x8 pan by simply halving the recipe. Conversely, to go from a 8x8 pan to a 9x13 pan, you double the recipe.
And, because there won't be a major difference in surface area or batter depth when you pack your halved recipe into the smaller baking dish, you won't even need to adjust the oven temperature or the cooking time. Just cut all of the ingredients in your recipe in half. It's almost too perfect!
A 9x9" metal (aluminized steel) pan yielded crisp-edged, somewhat dense brownies that were unremarkable. An 8x8" glass pan made brownies with cakey, crackly-on-top corners and a very thick, gooey texture within.
There is no significant difference between a 13- by 9-inch cake pan and a 9- by 13-inch cake pan. They are the same thing. Yes, you read that correctly. For example, pans made by different manufacturers may vary slightly by depth—two inches versus 2¼ inches.
10-inch Bundt pan holds 10-12 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch round pan (10 cups), 9×2 inch square pan (10 cups), 10×2 inch square pan (12 cups), 11×7 inch pan (10 cups), 10×15 inch jelly roll pan (10 cups), 12×17 inch jelly roll pan (12 cups), 9×2.5 inch springform pan (10 cups), 10×2.5 inch springform pan (12 ...
A 9×13 baking dish. The batter that fills two loaf pans is perfect for one baking dish. We didn't even need to adjust the cooking time that much; since the baking dish is more shallow, it bakes in about the same time as a loaf pan, even though it's bigger. We kept an eye on it and may have added 5 or 10 minutes max.
How Big is a 2 Quart Baking Dish?, measuring 8 inches wide by 12 inches long. It is also commonly found as 11 inches wide or 7 inches long, with a depth of 1.5 inches. Additionally, the rectangular variation is 11.1 inches x 7.1 inches x 1.7 inches deep.
Using a sheet pan to bake is by far the easiest and quickest way! The ideal sheet pan for making a cake would be flat and have sides that are at least 1 inch high.
If you're sautéing or searing a halved recipe, keep the heat and cook time the same but size down your pan. If you're cooking a halved recipe in the oven, keep the oven temperature the same but size down your cooking vessel and reduce the cook time by 1/3 — but check on it as you go.
It's simple. Use the oven set point for the most delicate item or for the one with the lowest temp. And expect the other item to take longer than normal. Also put the more delicate / lower temp dish on the lower shelf as well.
The cake will either be thinner than you want if the pan was bigger than recommended for or will overflow the pan and you'll have to clean your oven if the pan was smaller than recommended.
If your oven is large enough so all three pans fit on the same shelf with none of them touching each other or the oven walls it should work fine. You do not want to be opening the oven and shuffling the layers about, turning the pans or moving them to other levels.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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