Trying to figure out how to scale up a cake recipe can be a logistical nightmare, especially for those of us who are, shall we say, numerically challenged! Not only that, but you’ve also got to consider the shape of your cake too, so trying to figure out cake mixture quantities for different sized tins adds a whole extra level of confusion!
We’ve done the hard work for you here at Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine, so check out our handy chart below (with a downloadable version to stick on your fridge!), along with some extra handy hints and tricks to bear in mind when scaling up cake recipes.
Scaling up cake recipes
When figuring out how to scale up a cake recipe, the following chart runs on the assumption that your base recipe will be for a 20cm/8in round cake and 7.5cm/3in deep.
Click HERE to download this chart for your own use!
Size and shape of cake |
Scale |
|
Round |
Square |
|
|
7.5cm (3in) |
|
⅛ |
|
10cm (4in) |
7.5cm (3in) |
¼ |
|
12.5cm (5in) |
10cm (4in) |
⅓ |
|
15cm (6in) |
12.5cm (5in) |
½ |
|
18cm (7in) |
15cm (6in) |
¾ |
|
20cm (8in) |
18cm (7in) |
1 |
|
23cm (9in) |
20cm (8in) |
1¼ |
|
25.5cm (10in) |
23cm (9in) |
1½ |
|
28cm (11in) |
25.5cm (10in) |
2 |
|
30cm (12in) |
28cm (11in) |
2½ |
|
33cm (13in) |
30cm(12in) |
3 |
|
35.5cm (14in) |
33cm (13in) |
3½ |
Ball-shaped tins can seem quite daunting, however as they generally only come in three sizes, scaling for these is surprisingly simple!
10cm/4in: ¼
12.5cm/5in: ½
15cm/6in: 1
As you can see, the above chart for scaling up cake recipes is quite simple when it comes to cake mixture quantities for different sized tins and we know there are plenty more cake tins out there than square or circular! If you are using a different tin shape to the ones above, then a very simple way of checking your quantities is with water! Fill a 20cm/8in tin with water and compare it with the quantity of water that your unique tin holds. You can then use our handy chart to figure out to divide or multiply as needed, ta da!
You will have noticed that we haven’t provided a scale below a 7.5cm/3in round or square tin, we promise it’s intentional! Anything smaller than that, accurately scaling becomes rather tricky and impractical. Make the smallest quantity as shown in the chart, then use any leftover mixture for your own devices! A little extra mixture to make a special chef’s cupcake is a good excuse to test your cake AND reward your hard work.
Time
Timing is also very important when scaling up cake recipes and involves a little more maths! The rule to go by is if you double the thickness, you quadruple the time. If it takes one minute to cook the first outer 0.5cm of the cake, it will then take four minutes to cook the first whole centimetre. So, if you’re doubling the cake’s size, multiply the cooking time by four without changing the temperature. This is just a guide and we highly recommend keeping a close eye on your scaled-up bake as it cooks, to ensure you are happy it is cooking correctly and evenly. As often with baking, trial and error is sometimes unavoidable to create the perfect cake!
That should have covered everything you need to know when scaling up cake recipes! It can be an absolute nightmare trying to figure out cake mixture quantities for different sized tins, so do download our handy chart to stick on your fridge and save yourself hours of frustrating calculations (save that for the kids’ homework!).
We’re always trying to provide you with handy fixes to baking and decorating problems here at Caking Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine, so why not take a look over at our exploration into Why Sift Flour? Is It Really Necessary? The answer may surprise you…
Don’t forget to pick up the latest issue of Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine for all of our up-to-date decorating and baking tricks and tips and totally on-trend tutorials, expert advice and so much more!
