Cooking
Cake Pan Converter
Scale a cake recipe from one pan to another by area, and see approximate cup capacities.
Free to use — no sign-up or login.
Multiply ingredients by
Recipe pan holds about
cups
Your pan holds about
cups
Amortization schedule
| # | Date | Payment | Principal | Extra | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A 9-inch round and a 9×13 sheet do not hold the same depth of batter if you pour the whole bowl into the new pan. Multiply the ingredients by the new floor area divided by the old one.
When the headcount changes and the pan stays put, use the recipe scale calculator instead. This page is only the pan swap.
Area keeps the batter depth
A 9-inch round has floor area π × 4.5², about 63.6 square inches. A 9×13 has area 9 × 13 = 117. The factor 117 / 63.6 is about 1.84, so the sugar, flour, and eggs all move by 1.84. The old cup ratio, 14 cups over 8 cups, answers a different question.
Bundt and muffin pans are cups
A tube pan has a hole, so a rectangle drawn around it lies about the pan. Bundt and the 12-muffin tin use the approximate cup capacities on this page. A loaf uses its floor, 8.5 by 4.5 inches.
Bake time stays with the cook
A deeper batter needs longer, and a thinner one finishes sooner. This page does not invent a minute count. Test the center.
Worked example: 9-inch round to 9×13
Leave the recipe pan on the 9-inch round and the pan you have on the 9×13 sheet. Multiply ingredients by 1.84. The cup line stays approximate: about 8 cups in the round and about 14 cups in the sheet.
\[ 117/(\pi\times 4.5^{2})\approx 1.84 \]
Frequently asked questions
Why is the factor 1.84 and not 14/8?
14 and 8 are rough cup capacities. 1.84 is the ratio of the floors, which is what keeps the batter the same depth.
Can I scale a Bundt with area?
No. The Bundt and the muffin tin use cup capacity. Area does not describe a tube pan.
Does a square 8-inch match a round 9-inch?
The 8-inch square is 64 square inches and the 9-inch round is about 63.6, so the factor is almost 1. Their cup lines both say about 8.
Should I change the oven time by the same factor?
No. Depth changes the bake, and the only honest check is the center of the cake.
What if I only have half the batter the new pan wants?
The factor assumes you make the larger batch. If you keep the old batch, the sheet will be thinner and will bake faster.
References
Assumptions and limitations
Same batter depth is assumed. There is no bake-time promise. Bundt and muffin pans use volume, and the cup numbers are approximate.