Cake Batter Quantity Calculator
Enter your tin and the number of layers to see how much batter you need and how far to scale a standard recipe.
Optional. Helps us warn you if the batter would come too close to the top.
Tins of this size, each baked separately.
Choose the kind of cake you are baking.
Reference and detail
Scale by area, not by diameter
A 25cm tin is not 25% bigger than a 20cm one. It holds well over half again as much, because area grows with the square of the radius. This is the mistake behind most flat, thin cakes.
Fill tins two thirds full
Any fuller and the batter climbs over the rim before it sets. Any emptier and you get a pale, shallow layer that dries out.
Bigger cakes bake longer and cooler
A deep or wide cake needs more time for the middle to set, so drop the temperature slightly and expect to add time. Test with a skewer rather than trusting the original recipe's timing.
Questions and answers
Questions about cake batter quantities
How much batter does my tin need?
Enter your cake style, tin size and number of layers above, the amount depends on the base area of your tin, so there's no single figure that works for every size.
Fill tins no more than about two-thirds full; any more and the batter climbs over the edge before the middle has set.
Can I scale the eggs in a recipe accurately when I change tin size?
Broadly yes, eggs scale in proportion to the rest of the mixture, and the calculator suggests a whole number of eggs for your tin above. In practice you may need to round to the nearest whole or half egg, since you can't easily bake with a fraction of one.
Do I need to change the baking time for a bigger cake?
Yes. A larger tin generally means a wider, sometimes shallower cake that can bake in a similar or shorter time than a smaller, deeper one, the range shown above is a starting point. Always test with a skewer in the centre rather than relying on time alone.
Why does the calculator suggest a scale factor rather than a fixed recipe?
Cake styles vary hugely in how dense or aerated they are, so batter per tin depends on the sponge you're making as well as its size. The scale factor above is worked from a classic 20cm two-layer sponge, so use it against a recipe of a similar style.
Guidance
Read the full guide
- Cake Tin Sizes and Recipe ScalingHow to bake a recipe in the tin you actually own: matching area rather than width, adjusting batter quantity, and what happens to the baking time.