Does size matter … our guide to cake tins
There’s something incredibly satisfying about creating delicious baked goods for your family and friends but it can also be really confusing especially with imperial measurements, cake tin sizes and shapes. And then there’s the whole question about whether you can swap a round cake tin for a square or a large size tin for a smaller one. This week we’ve got a handy guide to everything you need to know about cake tins.
Size does matter
Here’s the scenario … you’ve creamed the butter and sugar, you’ve sifted the flour, you’ve added the eggs and milk and then you realise that this recipe you’re following calls for a 15 centimetre round cake tin but you only have a 28 centimetre round tin. Unperturbed you continue and use that bigger tin but when the cake comes out of the oven it doesn’t even vaguely resemble the image in the recipe, in fact it looks more like a pancake than a cake. Moral of the story? When it comes to cake tins, size does matter. The reason is that if you don’t adjust the amount of batter to suit the size of the tin you are using, you’re going to get inferior results in both shape and texture.
Swapping cake tin shapes
Often when you’re baking you’ll come across a recipe that tells you to use a particular shape cake tin, say round for example. But what do you do if you only have square cake tins? You can use a square tin for a round tin recipe and vice versa. Just remember that as a rule of thumb, square tins hold about 25% more than round tins of the same size. If you are using a square cake tin for a round tin recipe, keep the oven temperature the same but turn the cake halfway through the cooking time because the corners will cook faster than the middle of the cake. Make sure you watch the cake while it is baking and check it before the recommended cooking time. Our chart below will help you to make the switch from round to square or square to round:
Another common scenario is that you’ve found a great recipe but it gives you the cake tin measurements in inches. Here’s a quick conversion chart to help you out:
Round Cake Tins
|
Metric |
Imperial |
|
13 cm |
5 inch |
|
15 cm |
6 inch |
|
18 cm |
7 inch |
|
20 cm |
8 inch |
|
23 cm |
9 inch |
|
25 cm |
10 inch |
|
28 cm |
11 inch |
|
30 cm |
12 inch |
|
36 cm |
14 inch |
Square Cake Tins
|
Metric |
Imperial |
|
10 cm |
4 inch |
|
13 cm |
5 inch |
|
15 cm |
6 inch |
|
18 cm |
7 inch |
|
20 cm |
8 inch |
|
23 cm |
9 inch |
|
25 cm |
10 inch |
|
28 cm |
11 inch |
|
30 cm |
12 inch |
