Updates made to the calculator
- Jul 2020: Updated to take the number of pans into consideration when converting. Now you can convert multiple number of pans into one pan of a different shape/size and vice-versa.
- Sep 2020: Updated to include the instructions on the fields to be filled in. Thanks Candice for the suggestion!
- Oct 2024: Updated to Google Sheets due to access issues. Also added no. of pans into the calculator.
Recipe calls for a 9-inch cake pan and you’ve only got a 7-inch one? Want to bake brownies in a round pan instead of a square / rectangular one? Or want to bake a bigger cake for a party? These are perhaps some of the common problems that we home bakers face because firstly, many of us cannot afford stocking up different shapes and sizes of baking tins and pans at home due to space and budget constraints. And secondly, there may be times when we want to bake a cake in a different size – a bigger cake for a party or just a mini cake for that someone special.
Scaling recipes properly and accurately is important because if you try to bake a 7-inch cake in a 9-inch cake pan and follow the baking times stipulated in the recipe, not only will you get a very thin and flat cake, you will also most likely end up with a burnt cake because the cake will be cooked for way too long. If you do it the other way round – baking a 9-inch cake in a 7-inch cake pan – there will too much batter and the baking times will be a lot longer than the one stipulated in the recipe and there is a risk that your cake batter will overflow, leaving a mess in the oven *horrors*.
For me, most of the times I need to scale down recipes because I’m baking only for 2 people these days – if I bake a full recipe, we will have trouble finishing all of the desserts (not to mention the disastrous effects on my waistline). But not to worry, this Cake Pan Conversions Calculator is here to help!
The Formula
Note: If you are on Mobile, you’ll need to load the web page as Desktop site / version in order to use the calculator. Otherwise, you can head to the Calculator on Google Sheets directly to use it.
The formula used is a very simple and straightforward one we all learned in school – volume. For round cake pans it’s just πr²h (π x square of radius x height), for square and rectangular cake pans it’s lbh (length x breadth x height). I only made it easier by combining everything in an Excel document so all we need to do is to 1) choose the type of pan you are converting from and converting to and 2) key in the cake pans’ measurements.
The only key thing to note is to use the same type of measurements throughout – inches or centimetres. Do not mix them together otherwise the scale factor will not work.
Scale Factor
After entering the details, there will be a scale factor in the yellow box. This scale factor is the number to multiply your ingredients with. Take this scale factor for example (assuming I used inches for the cake pans dimensions):
So in order to convert a recipe for 9-inch cake pan to my 6-inch cake pan, I need to scale the ingredients down to 0.44. So the ingredients required for a 6-inch cake pan will be:
| Ingredients | Original Recipe | Scaled Recipe (Multiply everything by 0.44) |
| Plain flour Caster sugar Eggs | 200 grams 100 grams 4 eggs | 88 grams 44 grams 1.76 eggs |
Approximation
From the above, you will noted that the scaled recipe requires 1.76 eggs, which is a very weird quantity of eggs. Unless all your ingredients are measured by weights, you will most likely end up with a weird quantity of eggs. So what I will do is to approximate – I will round up or down the ingredients so that I get something that is easier to work with – in this case I will most likely round up the quantities so that I use 2 eggs for this recipe:
| Ingredients | Original Recipe | Scaled Recipe (Multiply everything by 0.44) | Approximation Recipe |
| Plain flour Caster sugar Eggs | 200 grams 100 grams 4 eggs | 88 grams 44 grams 1.76 eggs | 100 grams 50 grams 2 eggs |
Special Cake Pans
The formula will not work for chiffon pans, tube pans, bundt pans or springform pans. Chiffon pans, tube pans and bundt pans have a special design so the computation of its volume is not as straightforward as regular round, square or rectangular cake pans. For the conversion of these cake pans, it will perhaps be better to use the infographic from All Recipes.
For springform pans, the formula will work if you are scaling a recipe for springform pans with another springform pan (i.e. 9-inch springform pan recipe to a 7-inch springform pan). This is because springform pans usually hold more batter than regular cake pans (not sure why but apparently that’s the case).
And that’s it!
And that is how I scale most of the cake recipes I found on the internet! I’ve linked up to the calculator under the “Recipes” tab, so you can access it easily whenever you need to. If you have further questions, drop them in the comments below and I hope I’ll be able to answer them!
Have fun converting!
Michelle Fredericks says
hi
Sorry for being a bit daft, but if I use the calculator vice versa, it does not not reflect the scale factor as a negative or a positive (instructing me to scale the recipe up or down). Can I just assume that I need to reduce or increase my recipe ingredients based on the cake tin size info that i am inserting into the calculator. Thanks so much.
Foodie Baker says
Hi Michelle, yes it’s not a negative or a positive as you are multiplying the quantities in the original recipe by the scale factor. If the scale factor is less than 1, you are scaling the recipe down. If scale factor is greater than 1, you are scaling the recipe up.
Example: scale factor = 0.5
100g sugar x 0.5 = 50g i.e. making a smaller batch of batter
Scale factor = 2
100g sugar x 2 = 200g i.e making a bigger batch of batter.
I suggest to read through the entire post for further clarity. Hope this helps.
Belle says
Using the calculator to downsize a recipe (and hopefully make a mini torte!), does the bake time/temp change as the calculation goes? If I am receiving .2 for the conversion, do I then also divide the bake time and temp by this factor? This calculator definitely helped my confusion on scaling to different sized dishes, but now, I’m still left confused on the time and temperature.
Foodie Baker says
Hi Belle! For baking time and temperature, generally if the height of the cake is the same as the original recipe, I will bake at the same temperature for around the same time, but checking doneness 15min before stipulated time. Generally – the flatter the cake, the high the temp and the shorter the baking time; and the converse is true. And always keep a close eye of the cake when baking it for the first time. Hope this helps!
Aurora says
If you bake from a recipe fir 7×3 round pan to 9×13 rectangular pan I doubled the recipe but how about the temperature and the baking time. How do you adjust this.
Foodie Baker says
Hi Aurora – if you are converting one 7×3 to one 9×13 you will have to triple the recipe. The baking time will be similar. If you only double the recipe, it will take a shorter time to cook
You can maintain the same temperature but check the cake more frequently to ensure it’s cooked.
Lisa says
I’m making my first wedding cake and was unsure how to make the conversion for pan sizes. This is a fabulous tool that saved the day and took away so much stress for meThank you for this fabulous tool! My cakes came out perfectly ☺️
Foodie Baker says
Hi Lisa – I’m very happy that this calculator worked for you! The wedding cake must have been amazing and delicious! (:
Micala Evershed says
Hi there, I’m trying to convert a recipe for 3 x 6inch round tins (2 inch height) to 1 x rectangular tin 13 inch x 9 inch x 2 inch. Am I correct this will mean the recipe will be scaled up by 4.333? Seems like a lot of ingredients and I really don’t want to mess it up as it’s for my son’s birthday cake. Thank you x
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Micala, no it is not correct. You are converting three tins to one tin. The previous calculator do not take into account multiple number of pans. However, I have updated the calculator, you can re-input your requirements to determine the scale factor for the recipe.
Micala says
That’s better, thank you so much for your help
Shailee says
Hi, I would like to convert a 3 layer 6″ round cake recipe into 3 layer 8″ cake. How do I do that? Thank you so much!
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Shailee, you can input the details in the calculator, and assume the same height if you are not planning to make a taller / shorter cake.
Shailee says
I tried doing that in calculator, but it keeps showing blank space
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Shailee, did you fill in all the yellow cells?
Shailee says
Sorry, I meant – I want to convert 3 layer 6 inch cake recipe into 3 layer 9 inch cake recipe. Thank you!
Dan C, says
The calculators are round to round conversions. I’ve recently gotten into baking cheesecakes and Wouk like to convert a recipes from round to an 9×9 springform pan. Any calculators for that. I will use your round to round calculators I’m sure! Thanks.
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Dan, you can select rectangle tin in the drop down:)
Emma says
I had a quick question.
I want to convert a 6×2 recipe to 8×2 (round pans).
From 8 inch to 6 inch the scale is 0.56, and from 6inch to 8 inch is 1.78. Why is the scale different? Can I just multiply my recipe by 1.56 if I’m going from 6 inch to 8 inch?
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Emma, of course the scale factor is going to be different.
Converting 6 inch (smaller) to 8 inch (bigger) will require more batter. Converting 8 inch (bigger) to 6 inch (smaller) will require less batter. Hence the scale will definitely be different.
The scale factor is 1.78 to convert a 6 inch to 8 inch. If you want to use a scale factor of 1.56 go ahead, but your cake will not be as tall due to lesser batter and the baking time will be different from the original recipe.
Carmelina says
Hi. Thanks for helping us all. I have used your conversion on several occasions. Just want to make sure I got this one right. I want to convert 3 – 6 x 2 to 2 – 9 x 2. I came up with 3.375. Just seems like a lot. I really appreciate your reply. I plan on making your chocolate sponge cake soon.
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi, the calculator is for conversion of one cake tin to another and cannot be used for multiple cake tins.
To convert from three 6-inch to two 9-inch, the scale factor is 1.5 – you have to multiply the recipe by 1.5.
Carmelina says
Thank you. Glad I asked. Very much appreciated.
Carmelina says
Hi Jasline, I am still trying to understand how you came up 1.5 to scale the recipe. Would you mind
explaining. Sorry, but is driving me crazy. The calculator has a scale factor of 2.25.
Cake Pan Conversion Calculator
Created by Foodie Baker
From To
Type Round Round
Instruction Fill in height and diameter Fill in height and diameter
Diameter 6 9
Height 2 2
Length
Breadth
Scale factor 2.25
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Carmelina, the formula is radius x radius x height x no. of tins.
The original formula for one tin is (4.5 x 4.5 x 2) / (3 x 3 x 2) = 2.25
To include the no. of tins, you need to divide by 3 times 2, not times 2 divide by 3.
Volume of three 6-inch tins = 3 x 3 x 2 x 3 = 54
Volume of two 9-inch tins = 4.5 x 4.5 x 2 x 2 = 81
You will need more batter to fill the two 9-inch tins, hence the scale factor is 81 / 54 = 1.5.
Hope this helps!
Carmelina says
Thank you so much for the explanation.
Carmelina says
Recently used the calculator to make a 10 inch cheese cake from an 8 inch recipe. Came out perfect…….Some think I’m a genius.
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Carmelina, I’m glad the calculator has been useful for you! 🙂
Louise Brady says
The calculation works well for ingredients but do you multiply the time for baking using the same calculation?
Jasline N. says
No the time shouldn’t be multiplied.
Generally you should be able to follow the timing stipulated in the recipe but it is always a good practice start checking the baked goods earlier if this is the first time multiplying the recipe. This actually applies to all recipes that you are making for the first time 🙂
Geeta Punjwani says
Hi..I want to convert 7 inch cake recipe to 8 inch recipe,how should I convert baking powder,please guide me…Thanks in advance
Jasline N. says
Hi Geeta, do follow the instructions stated in the post. For baking powder, as the quantity used is very little, you can use the same amount or just increase it by a pinch. Should not have significant differences as you are scaling only from 7 inch to 8 inch.
Either says
Hi Jasline, I love your conversion calculator here, I found it very useful. However, I recently bought a heart shape silicone mould, so just wonder how to calculate from a 7in square tin recipe to a heart shape one (23cm the widest point), I know it is less straight forward, but any advice for that, please? Thanks in advance. 😉
Jasline N. says
Hi Either, sorry for the late reply. I can think of 2 ways.
One is if you can find out the volume of the heart shape tin, then compare it against the volume of the 7 inch square tin, then scale the recipe accordingly.
Second is try baking the cake for the 7 inch square tin into the heart shape mould. If the batter fills up to 3/4 of the height of the heart shape mould, then you can stick to the recipe. If not, scale accordingly.
Amy says
So if I wanted to convert a 7 inch layer cake to a 9 inch I would have to multiply everything by 0.6?
Rebecca Dare says
This is such a huge help as I am TERRIBLE at math… I am following a recipe which is for x2 9×2 inch round pans and am wanting to put this into x4 6×2 inch round pans. Am I right to think I would scale this by 0.88? For a cake I baking on Thursday so will be super grateful for a reply 🙂
Jasline N. says
Hi Rebecca. Yes you are correct. Basically you will need to scale a recipe by 0.44 if you want to convert from two 9×2 inch to two 6×2 inch. So if you want four 6×2 inch, you can scale the recipe by 0.88.
Lorel says
Add me to the list of people who want to THANK YOU for creating this calculator!
Suruchi says
Very helpful. Thank you so much.
Mary Pat says
So if recipe for 9 in cake converts to 6 in cake with a factor of .44, in theory our full 9 inch recipe would make approximately two 6 inch cakes?
Jasline N. says
Hi Mary Pat, that is correct!
Jes says
This article was very helpful, thank you.
The recipe i’m trying to convert is for 2 cake tins (so from two 8 inch to two 6 inch). Is the calculation still the same? i.e., do I just adjust the recipe based on the formula of one tin – meaning i reduce my recipe by a factor of 0.56?
Jasline N. says
Hi Jes, yes you are right, just multiply the ingredient quantities by 0.56 and use that amounts for 2 6-inch cake tins. Glad the post us useful for you!
Romina says
Hi this is awesome thank you. I just want to confirm I’m trying to convert a 9 inch cake pan recipe to a 11 x 13 rectangular cake pan and my scale factor was 2.09 is this correct? so am I adding extra or less ingredients? Thanks
Jasline N. says
Hi Romina, you will need to multiply your recipe by 2.09 🙂
Administrador Gral. says
Your scale factor doesn’t work as well as I thought. I couldn’t even see the rest of the scale factor number when I enter the dimension for the original pan to the pan I want to use. Useless crap
Jasline N. says
Hi there! Can I know in detail what do you mean by you couldn’t see the rest of the scale factor number? What are the cake pan sizes you inputted? Do you need more decimal places to work with?
Candice says
I had the same issue, until I read the instructions. If you can modify it to throw up an error if the dropdown has no value, that might help those of us who launch head-first and don’t think they ~need~ to read the instructions XD
Jasline N. says
Hi Candice, that sounds like a great idea, let me modify the formula when I have time 😉
Administrador Gral. says
I found this post very helpful. Thank
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
This post is such a big help. Thanks for sharing it with us!
jeannietay says
Thank you so much, it’s a great help indeed. Hope you will do a cups/grams conversion as well soon:P
Jasline N. says
You are welcome Jeannie! I’ll try my best to do up one!