Here’s an in-depth look at common cake pan sizes & conversions, as well as how to adjust recipes or make substitutions based on the pan sizes you have. Free printable included.
Unless you have a fully stocked kitchen with dozens of baking pans, chances are that you’ll run into a recipe where you don’t have the specific pan required. In fact, a cake pan substitution is the subject of most recipe questions I receive. I figured it would be easier to store all of this information in one convenient place for us all to reference.
Welcome to my Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions lesson!
This Post Includes:
- Common Baking Pan Measurements
- Cake Pans That Are Similar
- Substituting Cake Pans
- Adapting Cake Recipes to Fit Certain Pans
- Amount of Batter Some of My Cake Recipes Yield
Common Baking Pan Measurements
In this list, you’ll find common baking pan measurements and the volume of batter they hold. **The amount listed is the total amount of batter each pan holds, but you usually only fill cake pans halfway (unless otherwise noted in the recipe you are using).** Most measurements were taken at my home kitchen. Cross referenced with the always trusted Joy of Baking, as well.
Measurement Conversions
- 1 inch = 2.54cm
- 1 cup = 240ml
Round Pans:
6×2 inches (15 x 5cm) = 4 cups (960ml)
8×2 inches (20 x 5cm) = 6 cups (1.4 liters)
9×2 inches (23 x 5cm) = 8 cups (1.9 liters)
Square Pans:
8×2 inch square (20 x 5 cm) = 8 cups (1.9 liters)
9×2 inch square (23 x 5 cm) = 10 cups (2.4 liters)
10×2 inch square = (25 x 5 cm) = 12 cups (2.8 liters)
Rectangular Pans – 2 inch (5 cm) tall
11×7 inches (28 x 18 cm) = 10 cups (2.4 liters)
13×9 inches (33 x 23 cm) = 14 cups (3.3 liters)
Springform Pans:
9x 2.5 inches (23 x 6 cm) = 10 cups (2.4 liters)
10x 2.5 inches (25 x 6 cm) = 12 cups (2.8 liters)
Bundt Pan – volume varies because of various designs
10×3 inch (25 x 8 cm) = 10-12 cups (2.8 liters)
Tube Pan:
9×3 inches (23 x 8 cm) = 12 cups (2.8 liters)
Jelly Roll Pans – 1 inch (2.5 cm) tall
10×15 inches (27 x 39 cm) = 10 cups (2.4 liters)
12×17 inches (32 x 44 cm) = 12 cups (2.8 liters)
Loaf Pans – about 3 inches (8 cm) tall
8×4 inch (20 x 10 cm) = 4 cups (960 ml)
9×5 inch (23 x 13 cm) = 8 cups (1.9 liters)
How to Determine the Volume Yourself
If you want to calculate a pan’s volume yourself, it’s so easy! Simply fill your pan with 1 cup of water at a time and count until it’s full. That’s what I do!
How Much Does This Pan Hold?
Here’s a helpful list of the most common baking pans and the volume of batter they hold, as well as which pans hold the same amount of batter. ***Keep in mind that the volumes listed mean you are filling the pan all the way to the top with batter, which isn’t ideal for baked goods. Unless otherwise noted, filling pans around 2/3 full is the best practice. This leaves room for rising.
- For example, my vanilla cake recipe yields around 8 cups of batter which I divide between 3 9×2 inch round cake pans. (Each hold 8 cups of batter!) Each cake layer has a little less than 3 cups batter each.
Use the following section to determine which baking pans can be substituted for others based on their full volume.
Round Pans
- 6×2 inch round pan holds 4 cups of batter, the same as an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Fun discovery! Cupcake recipes yielding 12-16 cupcakes fit wonderfully in 3 6-inch cake pans. See my post for 6 inch cake recipes for more information.
- 8×2 inch round pan holds 6 cups of batter.
- 9×2 inch round pan holds 8 cups of batter, the same as an 8×2 inch square pan and a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- 10×2 inch round pan holds 10-11 cups of batter, the same as a 9×2 inch square pan, 11×7 inch pan, 10×15 inch jelly roll pan, 10×3 inch Bundt pan, and a 9×2.5 inch springform pan.
Square Pans
- 8×2 inch square pan holds 8 cups of batter, the same as a 9×2 inch round pan and a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- 9×2 inch square pan holds 10 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch round pan, 11×7 inch pan, 9×2.5 inch springform pan, 10×3 inch Bundt pan, and a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan.
- 10×2 inch square pan holds 12 cups of batter, the same as a 12×17 inch jelly roll pan, 10×3 inch Bundt pan, 10×2.5 inch springform pan, and a 9-inch tube pan.
Rectangle Pans
- 11×7 inch pan holds 10 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch round pan, 9×2-inch square pan, 9×2.5 inch springform pan, 10×3 inch Bundt pan, and a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan.
- 9×13 inch pan holds 14-16 cups of batter, essentially the same as 2 9×2-inch round pans.
Jelly Roll Pans
- 10×15 inch jelly roll pan holds 10 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch round pan, 9-inch square pan, 11×7 pan, 9×2.5 inch springform pan, 10-inch Bundt pan.
- 12×17 inch jelly roll pan holds 12 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch square pan, 10-inch Bundt pan, 10×2.5 inch springform pan, and a 9-inch tube pan.
Bundt Pans
10-inch Bundt pans are the standard size. I actually have several that are 9.5 inches and most Bundt cake recipes still fit.
- 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 cups) and a 9-inch tube pan (12 cups).
Tube Pans
9×3 inch tube pans are the standard size. I have a few that are 8 inch and 10 inch and most recipes using tube pans fit nicely in all.
- 9×3 inch tube pan holds 12 cups of batter, the same as 10×2 inch square pan, 12×17 inch jelly roll pan, and a 10×2.5 inch springform pan.
Springform Pans
- 9×2.5 inch springform pan holds 10 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch round pan, 9×2 inch square pan, 11×7 inch pan, a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan.
- 10×2.5 inch springform pan holds 12 cups of batter, the same as a 10×2 inch square pan, 12×17 inch jelly roll pan, and a 9×3 inch tube pan.
Loaf Pans
- 8×4 inch loaf pan holds 4 cups of batter, the same as a 6×2 inch round pan.
- 9×5 inch loaf pan holds 8 cups of batter, the same as a 9×2 inch round pan and an 8×2 inch square pan.
Substituting Cake Pans
I’m piggy-backing this one to the section above because there’s often a need to substitute different cake pans. If substituting a baking pan that holds the same amount of batter, be wary of the baking time because the dimensions of the baked good will change. Always keep your eye on the oven and begin checking for doneness earlier than the recipe states.
Remember, only fill pans about 1/2 to 2/3 full unless otherwise instructed in the recipe.
FREE PRINTABLE
Here is a free printable you can hang in your kitchen workspace: Volumes & Measurements of Common Baking Pans
Adapting Recipes to Fit Certain Cake Pans
Adapting recipes to fit the cake pans you have (or need) can often be complicated. While it’s always best to stick to the written recipe, sometimes you need to make adjustments and that’s where a little math can help.
1) Determine the volume your pan can hold. You can also determine the actual surface area of the pan in square inches. I actually used Food 52’s article by Alice Medrich on this subject to brush up on my math!
- For square and rectangle pans, multiply the length of the sides. For example, a 9×13 inch baking pan is 117 square inches. 9×13 = 117.
- For circle pans, determine the area by multiplying the radius squared by π. (π = 3.14, the radius is half of the diameter, and squaring means multiplying a number by itself.) For example, the area of a 9-inch round pan is 63. The radius is 4.5. 4.5×4.5 = 20.25. Multiply that by 3.14 = 63.5.
2) After you determine the volume your pan can hold or its square inches, you can confidently make baking pan substitutions.
- For example, if a 9×13 inch pan is 117 square inches and a 9-inch round pan is 63.5 square inches, you can be confident that the volume from one 9×13 inch pan can fit into TWO 9-inch round pans (approximately 120 square inches total).
What if volumes and square inches don’t match up perfectly? You’ll have to adjust the recipe and this requires more math.
For example, if you want to adapt a 9-inch round cake to a 10-inch round cake, you’ll need to make adjustments. A 9-inch round cake pan is 63.5 square inches/holds 8 cups of batter. A 10-inch round cake pan is 78.5 square inches/holds 10-11 cups of batter. Without any adaptions, your 10-inch cake layers will be very thin. You’ll need to increase the batter by 25%.
The get this percentage, work with the cups or square inches. Subtract the number you have (8 cups) from the number you want (10 cups). Divide that (2 cups) by what you have (8 cups), then multiply by 100. (The universal way to find a percentage.) This equals 25%.
How to Avoid the Math
What works for me most of the time (because I don’t trust myself with too much math!) is to 1.5x the recipe or even making 2 batches of batter. (For best success, taste, and texture, I always recommend making separate full batches instead of doubling. Doubling risks over-mixing or under-mixing and could overwhelm your mixer.) Then, I use leftover batter to make a few cupcakes on the side to freeze for another time.
It’s better to have extra batter rather than not enough.
What About Eggs?
If you need part of an egg for when you are adjusting a recipe, crack the egg, beat it, and whatever percentage of that mixture you need. If you need 1/3 of an egg and you have 3 Tablespoons of beaten egg, use 1 Tablespoon. For a more precise amount and if you don’t trust your measurements, you can also weigh the beaten egg on a kitchen scale to determine exactly how much you need.
- Cover, refrigerate, and add any leftovers to your scrambled eggs the next morning!
Amount of Batter Some of My Cake Recipes Yield
The following list will help if you need to adjust my recipes for different pan sizes. These are the recipes I know and all measurements are approximate.
- Checkerboard Cake: about 8 cups
- Vanilla Naked Cake: about 8 cups
- Vanilla Cake: about 8 cups
- Confetti Cake: about 8 cups
- Chocolate Cake: about 6 cups
- White Cake: about 7 cups
- Banana Cake: about 6 cups
- Strawberry Cake: about 7 cups
- Snickerdoodle Cake: about 8 cups
- Coconut Cake: about 7-8 cups
- Red Velvet Cake: about 6-7 cups
- Lemon Cake: about 7 cups
My Favorite Baking Pans
I have a list for you! Stock your kitchen with these 8 best baking pans and these 10 cake baking & decorating tools.
The next time you have a question about cake pan sizes & conversions, I hope you find your answer in this post so you can confidently make the adjustments needed.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’d like to make your cookies and cream sheet cake for a kids birthday and use a 10×15 inch pan (rather than 9×13) to make it a bit larger for a crowd. I was thinking to use 1.5x the original recipe. Do you think that would be sufficient, or is there another ratio I should use?
Thankyou!
Hi Alayna, that should work! Enjoy!
Can I make a 2 layer 9 inch cake from a recipe that yields 24 cupcakes?
I need to make a rainbow layer cake in 9” rounds. And how much batter should I put in each round if I want each layer to be small, so that the cake isn’t too tall? I’ve determined that a traditional cake mix is just over 4 cups. I put 2 cups in each 9 inch round for a two layer cake. That cake is pretty high after I frost it. So, how small does each layer need to be and how much batter is needed in a 9 inch pan?
Hi Lori, that really depends on how short you’d like each layer. We’d recommend dividing your batter up into the number of colors you’d like and using that amount for each layer. 4 cups of cake batter divided up into the colors of the rainbow should be a small amount to give you shorter layers.
Hi Sally, I have a espresso chocolate wedding cake to bake, can I double this espresso cake, I am going to use 3 inch pans, actually it’s 10×3 pan and a 6×3 pan, so I will need to double the recipe. is this doable with this recipe
If I want to halve a recipe that would bake in a 9×9 pan, could I bake it in a typical 9×4 loaf pan for the same amount of time?
Hi RJ, yes, that should generally work!
Your conversion :
8×2 inches (20 x 5cm) = 6 cups (1.4 liters)
So 6 cups would fill one 8x2in pan? Or would this be split in half to fill 2-8x2in pans to make a two layer cake? TIA
Hi Katie, 6 cups would be the total volume, if filled to the brim, but you only want to fill your cake pans no more than 2/3 of the way full (unless otherwise noted to do less) to allow for rising. So correct, if you have 6 cups of batter, you will want to split it between two pans.
My recipe that I plan on increasing by volume has 2 eggs for the 8 cup batter recipe, I would like to increase it to 12 cups to adjust it to couple of different pans, I assumed that I can do one more egg…. That will equal 3 eggs for 12 cups, question mark.
Absolutely much deep thanks, I just adore and love your website, thank you, Sally.
Hi, this article is so helpful. Thank you so much.
I have a 9 inch round cake recipe but I would like to use a 9*13 square pan for my son`s birthday. So, can I just bake the cake twice and make a layer cake? in this case, I dont know how long I should bake each individual cake (the original recipe for 9 inch round pan is 50-60 min. Appreciate your help.
Hi Rose! It’s hard to say without testing it ourselves (all recipes are slightly different), but our 9×13 sheet cake recipes usually take about 35-40 minutes.
Great article! My recipe calls for 9×3 round, and mine are only 2″ high, so trying a 10×2″ round. Going to bake for less time (because thinner cake) and cross my fingers 🙂 Thank you!
If I have a recipe for a cake that makes two layers (8x2in round pan), can I use the exact same amount for a three layer (6x2in round pan) cake?
My math is that the the cake is 12 cups and that a 8″ pan = 6 cups , 6″ pan = 4 cups
I have the same question. We’re you able to sort this?
Pls what do mean by 6 x 2 inch in the conversion above? Does it mean the pan is 6 inches round and 2 inches height
Hi Lara, correct. 6 inches diameter and 2 inches high.
Do you suggest using the 3inch high pans? I have a few but am nervous to make the same recipe in them. I hear you need to adjust your oven (lower) and your time (higher). I’m also not sure how to adjust the recipes. Do you see a benefit to using the new 3inch pans? ie, 9×3, 8×3 and 6×3 rounds?
Hi Melissa, we always use two inch tall cake pans.
I just baked half a 8 inch layer cake recipe for 2 4 inch cake. According to your article should be 3 cups batter and it definitely is not 3cups. I baked it in 9×14 jelly roll pan and it filled to about 2/3 to 3/4 full and it gave me 6 slices of 4 inch cake at 1.5inches. Not all slices are same height.
Thank you, Sally & Team, for this supremely detailed post! Your site is always so much more than a recipe bank. I so appreciate all the effort that goes into a post like this, and I am looking forward to a printable version of it (that was discussed in an earlier comment) to keep in my food binder. Thanks again.
Hi!
More like a question… I am trying to bake a cake for a birthday. I need the cake to be at least 6 inches tall to fit in a fondant truck on the side. What would you recommend for sizing and number of layers to do? I was hoping to do two however, it may be impossible to get 6 inches by only using two layers. Let me know your recommendations! I am baking it for about 20 people
On weights of cake batter and volume of cake batter, it is easy to get confused. They are not the same thing – volume is the amount of space it takes, and the important factor for cake pans sizes and most recipes list how many servings with pan size. Go from there to modify the pan size. The volume of an ounce in weight of sugar vs an ounce in weight of water is different, the volume is the question.
Stupid Q
I only have one 9″ pan. Can I put it all in that one and cut afterwards? I did that with all your other recipes (*visible awkwardness*) and they seemed to do good. 🙂
//Megi
Hi. I have a cake recipe that makes 3 6-inch round cakes and I want to increase the recipe to use 3 8-inch round pans. Would I increase the recipe by half or would I double it? Thank you!
Mathematically, that increase requires 1/3 more batter (=2”). So increase all ingredients by 1/3 extra!
hi If I wanted to make your 2 layer chocolate cake into 2×7″ baking pans how can I adjust the recipie ?
thanks
I need to make a cake that feeds 30. So I thought I’d use two 10-inch square pans. So would a recipe that uses three 9-inch pans work? I would divide that batter into the two 10-inch pans?
Hi, if I’m doing a two tier 12 inch cake, what would be the recipe? Thank you
I have a question please. If I’m using a recipe for a 8×8 square pan but I’ve only got a 10×8 rectangle how much should I increase ingredients
Will using a 8x8x4 pan, instead of an 8x8x2 pan, affect how a pan of brownies will turn out?
Thanks!
Hi Linda, it shouldn’t make much of a difference for your brownies!
Your cake pan sizes and conversion article is a great resource. I’ve been baking for many years and I wish I had this chart earlier. Having a printable option would be great. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hi Linda! We’re actually working on a printable option for this post – so glad you find it helpful 🙂
10 inch round pan how long does it cook for?
Sally
I have a wonderful three layer lemon cake recipe (for three eight- inch rounds) that I want to make in two nine-inch round pans.
What do I need to do? I assume they would bake longer, but should it work?
Thank you!
Evelyn
I have a question about the conversions for cake pans. The ingredients in most of my recipes are in ounces (weight) rather than cups. I can add all of the ingredients together to get a weight but not cups.
The chart indicates a cup of batter weighs 8 ounces. I understand water weighs 8 ounces, but I don’t think a mixture that contains whipped eggs, flour, oil, sugar, grated carrots, nuts etc. would necessarily weigh 8 oz. The King Arthur Ingredient Weight list indicates 1 cup of flour weighs 4.25 ounces, a cup of sugar weighs 7 oz, and so on.
Do you know of a more accurate way to determine how much batter a particular pan of batter should weigh?
Thank you in advance!
=)
Teresa
Hi Teresa, You are correct that each recipe would yield a different weight per cup of batter. Unfortunately, it’s not very common to measure cake batter by weight were we live, so we do not have accurate weights for each of our recipes for this. We are sorry we can’t be of more help!
I cannot tell you how much I love your website! Thank you for providing so much useful information!
I have a recipe that makes 3 [9] inch round cake pans, but I want to convert the recipe to make 2 [6] inch round cake pans. Would you half the recipe or thirds the recipe?
Anna, I’m no math whiz, but seems to me that 6 is 2/3 of 9 . And 2 is 2/3 of 3. So… Use 1/3 LESS Of ALL INGREDIENTS!
This site is simply incredible for anyone who wants to learn to bake. Every time I find myself in a quandary, I find the answer here written in precise easy to understand terminology. I was about to bake bread when I remembered we do not have a metal loaf pan in our second home. No problem since there was an excellent explanation on how to substitute a round pan for a rectangle. A little bit of math and I was in business. Thanks for all the help.
We’re so glad this post was useful for you, Michael!
Good morning. I’m confused, maybe you can help. I’m looking at your cookies and cream cake that calls for a 13 x 9 pan. However yields 7 cups of batter. Above you state that size pan requires 14-16 cups of batter. I’m trying to figure out if I can half the recipe or use other sized pans, but the numbers are not making sense. I’m sure I’m just confused…can you explain? Thank you!
Hi Sandra, glad to help. You typically only fill pans halfway so that is why a 7 cup batter fits into a 14-cup capacity pan. See How Much Does This Pan Hold? above for another example.
This is a great resource. However, it doesn’t provide options for mini cupcakes. Could you provide conversions for mini cupcakes please.
Hi Grace, you can use most regular cupcake recipes to make mini cupcakes. The bake time is usually 13-15 minutes. You can also usually use cake batter to make mini cupcakes too. For fewer mini cupcakes, you can halve your cupcake or cake recipe.
This is amazingly helpful, thank you for the resource!
How to calculate the bake time requires? For example, I’d like to use your white cake recipe for a 10” and a 6”. How would I adjust the bake time? Thank you.
Hi Hilary, Most 6 inch cake layers take about 18-21 minutes at 350°F (177°C). We are unsure of the exact time a 10 inch layer will take but it will be longer than a typical 8 or 9 inch cake. Always keep your eye on the oven and begin checking for doneness earlier than the recipe states.
I know every time I use a 9” round cake recipe it usually makes two 6” cakes. But these days I’m obsessed with making mini 4” cakes but I can’t seem to find the conversion for smaller cakes. Do you know how many 4” cakes I can get from a 6” 8” or 9” recipe? I’ve been going crazy trying to figure this out lol
hi! for a four inch pan, first find the area of the circle. the diameter of the pan is four inches, so the radius (length from center to edge, always half of diameter) is two. then do pi x 2^2 (pi times 2 squared) which is about 12.57 inches square (in^2).
inches square is a flat area, not a volume- we actually need inches cubed (in^3). this is important bc it tells us we have to multiply 3 different measurements together to get volume (normally heightxwidthxlength, so inch x inch x inch= in^3. with circles it’s (pi x radius^2) x height).
so you’ll want to multiply the height of your cake pan by 12.57 in^2. if the height is 2 in, that will give you 25.14 in^3.
tbh if you don’t want to do this by hand you can probably google and find a page that will calculate the volume of a cylinder for you.
1 cup is about 14.44 in^3. 25.14/14.44 is 1.74 cups- for ease you could just say 1.75, which is 1 and 3/4. (to compare how much wiggle room you have, a 6 x 2 round is listed as four cups above, but (pi x 3^2)/14.44 is about 3.9 cups.)
That answer confused me so much. So a 4 inch mini pan that’s 2 inches tall, how much battery do you fit? That would be the easiest way and I’m sure there are conversion charts for cake pans that I just need to look for.