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.
Unless you have 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 2/3 full unless otherwise noted in the recipe.
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
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.
How would I convert a 9″ circle pan to a 6″? If you could give a rough estimate ? 🙂
Hi Michelle, per the measurements in the post, a 6 inch round pan holds half the volume of a 9 inch round pan — so a recipe for a 9 inch cake round would be roughly half for a 6 inch round.
Hi Sally – this is a fantastic article – thank you so much for this! I had a question for you. I usually make cheesecakes in a 7 inch springform pan in an IP. I am looking to double the recipe and make it in a 10 inch springform pan in my 10-quart IP. Would you know how that would change the baking time? I currently do 33-35 mins for the 7 inch. I am doing this for a get together today and don’t want the entire thing to be a disaster. Thank you!!
Hi Deb, we’ve never baked cheesecake in an Insta Pot, so unfortunately we can’t give you a confident answer here. Sorry we can’t be of more help!
Hi Angela,
I want to use a carrot cake recipe that I usually bake in two 9×2″ pans, in one 6×4″ cake pan.
What suggestions do you have? Should I use the entire recipe or only half?
I am considering baking at lower temperature (25 degrees less) in order to allow the entire cake to cook throughout without over caramelizing the edges.
Hi Sally
I’ve got two 30cm by 7cm pans I want to use for layered cake (going to cut each in two to get x4 layers)
What would be the required batter content per pan ?
Hi I need help desperately. I have been nominated by the family to make my father s birthday cake. I have a 14″ x 9″ and 2.5 inch high.
I dont know wherd to start with how much mixture I need!
Cups of batter dont make sense as I don’t know how much mixture makes so many cups.
The problem is I need to make it on Thursday as it is needed by this Saturday morning. Can anyone help?
What would the equivalent of this say in a round tin?
Thankyou
I am in the middle of a last minute birthday cake bake prep session. And I was given a pan (14.5″ x 11″ x 2″) that is larger than what I am used to (9″ round) since the desired cake is a boxed mix, the mess in the kitchen is cut back some. I have no idea how many cups of batter a pan of this size requires since recipes I follow just say “use this pan” and “make this the batter like this” … i never stopped to measure the batter prior to pouring it into cake molds or pans. So. It would be nice to see a box measurement here along with how tall the cake rises (on average) because if I wanted crepes, lol, I have a crepe maker. Well, I am wasting time. Lots of piping to do and the cake isn’t even baked yet… hope 10 pm is a decent time to wake up the 7 year old to blow out candles, lol.
Hi Sally, I have a recipe which perfectly made 3 x 6 inch round tiers. I now need to scale up to 3 x 10 inch round tiers. Am I right that this is pretty much 1 x the same recipe per 10 inch round tin? I.e. make 3 times the initial recipe and will probably have a bit left over? Thanks loads in advance!
Hi Shan, that should be about right. Fill your pans half way, and then you can use any leftover batter (there shouldn’t be much) for a few cupcakes. Happy baking!
Thank you!!
Thank you for this… very helpful. Dessert bowls are all the rage right now and I’m trying my first with a pumpkin cake-type recipe. It’s fairly dense so it was great to see your suggestions other than basic pan sizes.
I want to cut a cake recipe in half. The recipe makes 3-9″ layers. Can I use 3-4″ pans for half of the recipe?
Hi Suanne! To find out how much batter you’ll need, you will have to do some math! See the section above called “Adapting Recipes to Fit Certain Cake Pans.”
I will be making a wedding cake with the Lemon Layer Cake recipe. I am stumped about volume of batter for the 12″ base tier.
Volume of a 9″ round is 63.5
Volume of a 12″ round is 113 (I think)
Can you tell me how many batches of the Lemon Cake I need to make for each 12″ layer?
I have 3 tiers (12″, 9″ & 6″) with 3 cake layers per tier.
Thank you!
Hi Karenna, For the 6 inch tier use this recipe for lemon cupcakes and follow the baking instructions in our post on 6 inch cakes.
For the 9 inch layer tier you can make the lemon layer cake as written.
For the 12 inch bottom we recommend making separate batches of the lemon layer cake (so you aren’t working with too much batter at once) and combining them. Fill each pan 2/3 full (see the above section called “how to avoid the math”).
Hi! I appreciate all the work that went in to preparing this page!
I have to make a chocolate cake for 20 people and need it to be larger than a 9” round.
Any suggestions?
Can I use a 200 Pan? (My husband is a chef (not a baker) so I have easy access)
Or should I try a 1/2 sheet pan?
Hi Amy, how about our triple chocolate cake? It will make either two, 9-inch rounds, or you can see the recipe notes for 9×13 details. Let us know if you give it a try!
I need to make a sheet cake to serve 30 people.
What size pan should I use for the Best Vanilla Cake? Should I make two batches or double?
Could I make two layers?
Hi Lynne! We suggest this Vanilla Sheet Cake or White Cake recipes instead (see recipe notes for white cake sheet cake instructions)! We always suggest making two separate batches instead of doubling because it is easy to over-or under-mix large batches of cakes.
Would a 9X13 pan best the best choice?
How many serving would this make?
How full do you fill the pans. And also the pan I have needs 12 cups according to this article. Does that mean 2 pans or just the one pan. Pls help I want to make the stawberry cake for my bday next saturday.
Hi Gail, 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).
Hi, I have a questions I’ve been stressing about for a while.
I want to bake a cake. The recipe calls for one 9inch spring form Pan. I want to make a 3 layer cake with 8inch. Do I simple double the 9inch recipe.
Will it be enough ?
Pls help. Thanks a lot in advance.
Hi Iram, it really depends on the amount of batter that your recipe yields — springform pans tend to hold more volume than traditional cake pans. Our best recommendation would be to make the recipe 1.5x or twice, fill your pans half way, and then use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes. Hope this is helpful!
My cheesecake recipe calls for a 8×2 springform pan 325 degrees for 50-60 mins. I want a taller cheesecake and want to use 6×3 springform pan. How do I adjust the time/temp?
Hi Lili, I’m unsure of the exact bake time for a 6 inch cheesecake. You will use the same oven temperature and then use your eyes more than the timer for bake time. If making our classic cheesecake you will bake until the center is almost set. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan.
Hi…Im looking to make Sally’s Blackforest Gateau Cake…..It calls for 3×9 inch round pans….I only have 2…..I have 3×8 inch round pans…..I am wondering can I fo this in the 8 inch….If so….Is the baking time less and do I put less batter into each pan??
Hopefully you can help me out…
Thanks…
Hi Elizabeth, You can use 8 inch cake pans for the Black Forest Cake. The layers will be slightly thicker and require a slightly longer bake time (not much though)
Thank you for replying so quick….
My tins are 2 inch in depth….Would I just.3/4 fill them….dont want them overflowing on me…
Wow, thank you so much for this! It has made my baking easier!
I have to make a wedding cake with a 12 inch bottom layer. Should I just make two batches and fill the cake pan? I don’t see a conversion for either a 12 or 14 inch pan.
Hi Angela, For best success, taste, and texture, we always recommend making separate full batches instead of doubling. See the section in the post above called “How to Avoid the Math.” Then if you aren’t going to be calculating the exact volume of the pan, be sure you only fill cake pans about 2/3 full.
I made a Jr’s Cheesecake in my 9″ springform pan. It was terrific. The problem is there is 2 of us, so even adding a few more people to the mix it’s just too much. So I had a 7″ square and halved the recipe – it worked the first time, but when I did it again – I guess I messed up on time or temperature, and it collasped. So I’ve bought a 7″ round and want to try again. Except for at what temp. and for approximately how long would you recommend? Any suggestions would be appreciated 🙂
Hi Sandra, it’s hard to say exactly without knowing the recipe, but generally when halving recipes you should bake at the same temperature for a slightly shorter time. Definitely keep an eye on it in the oven so as not to over-bake.
Thank you so much for taking the time and posting this. I am still new to baking so this really helps me out! Love your site and recipes!
My friends asked me to make a matcha cheesecake and sent me a link. I said yes before I realized it uses a 15cm. Which one will not feed 11 people and two I only have a 9inch spring form pan. So I am wondering if I can just double the recipe, and how would you recommend adjusting the cook time?
I wish to make cakes that go into a 9 inch spring form pan by the recipe and cutting them in half for a 6 inch spring form pan. My question is, do I need to adjust the temperature of the oven? I realize the timing will be speculative but I’m more concerned about the initial oven temperature
Hi Carol, for the most part, oven temperatures will stay the same regardless of the cake pan size. As you mention, you’ll just want to keep a close eye on the baking time. It’s typically shorter for smaller pans, unless you have an increased volume of batter to account for. Hope this helps!
Hi, I have a 7 inch springform pan, and a 9×3. What are the measurements for the 7 inch?
I want to make a 13×9 coconut Cake is it wise to double this recipe??
Hi Penny, our coconut cake works wonderfully in a 9×13 pan. See recipe notes for details.
Hello, so I have a recipe for a lemon chiffon cake that requires a 7 inch tube cake pan but I want to convert that into two 9 inch round pans. Have any advice?
Hi Sarah, do you know how many cups of batter the recipe yields? If so, you can determine if it would fit into your round pans. It most likely will.
Thank you so much for this info! So helpful! I would like to know how to figure out the yield (how many cups are made before baking) of a recipe before making it. Is that possible? I don’t want to waste the ingredients if I’m not ready to bake.
Hi Lynette, I’m just seeing your comment/question now. Unfortunately it would be pretty difficult to determine the amount of cups of batter a recipe makes just by looking at the ingredients. You can take a look at the amounts of batter a few of my recipes yield above (listed above) and compare any recipes you come across to those– if the ingredient amounts are generally the same, the amount of batter will generally be the same. I hope this is helpful.
Increase the recipe ingredients by about 1/4. Then you will know that you will have enough. There are websites out there that you can enter your ingredients and it will change the quantity for you. That being said, the math really is not that hard.
How do you know how long to bake the adjusted amounts of batter?
Hi Sally, I’ve been asked to make a vanilla layered cake to serve approx 50. I love your ‘best ever vanilla’ cake & it’s been successful previously. Can you give me some tips on increasing the volume of batter & tin sizes please?
Hi Sheila, for that recipe, I recommend making a few batches of the batter instead of doubling/tripling. It will simply be too much batter to work with at one time, plus you risk over or under-mixing with that amount of volume. I’m unsure of the best size cake pans, though. That recipe yields about 8 cups of batter which serves at least 12 people, so you can calculate based on how many batches you want and the cake pan sizes you have.
Hi Sally, Can I make a layer cake from my rich butter pound cake recipe? I would appreciate both pros and cons for doing this. Thanks.
Hi Wren, this is a difficult question to answer because I’m not familiar with your recipe. Usually pound cakes aren’t ideal as layer cakes since they are so heavy. They’re usually preferred as a loaf of Bundt cake.