Capacities and equivalents: adapt any recipe to your cake pan

Almost every sponge cake recipe you come across is written for a round pan of twenty or twenty-two centimetres. Your pan is not that one.

This guide is here so you can take any recipe and bake it in the pan you already have, without it spilling over or turning out flat.

Measure your pan's real capacity in a minute

Don't trust what the box says, least of all if the pan has a relief pattern. Measure it.

1. Put the empty pan on the kitchen scale and tare it.
2. Fill it with water up to the rim, using a measuring jug.
3. Write down the millilitres you have poured in.

A litre of water weighs a kilo, so you can also do it with the scale alone: the grams of water it holds are the millilitres of capacity.

That number is the pan's total capacity, right up to the top. The amount of batter you can put in is two thirds of that.

The Erreke cake pans, from smallest to largest

These are all our cake pans, with the capacity measured with water right up to the rim:

Cake pan	Measurements	Height	Total capacity	Batter (2/3)
Tetrad (4 mini)	4 × Ø10 cm	4.5 cm	1 L in total	~660 ml
Espiral	Ø24 cm	9 cm	1.8 L	~1,200 ml
Flare	Ø24 cm	10 cm	1.8 L	~1,200 ml
Amour	28 × 26 cm	10 cm	2 L	~1,330 ml
Cascada	Ø24 cm	11 cm	2 L	~1,330 ml
Bloom	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Clásico	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Flow	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Gleam	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Twist	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Vortex	Ø24 cm	10 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Blaze	Ø25 cm	11 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml
Plait	Ø25 cm	11 cm	2.5 L	~1,660 ml

From a round pan to a decorative cake pan

A plain round pan and a decorative cake pan of the same capacity don't behave the same way, even if the same batter fits in both.

The decorative cake pan has a hollow central tube. That means the heat also comes in from the inside, so the cake bakes sooner and more evenly. That is an advantage: less risk of dry edges with a raw centre.

Rough equivalents for the most common recipes:

If the recipe says	Approximate capacity	Erreke pans that work
Round pan Ø18 cm	1.2 to 1.5 L	Espiral, Flare
Round pan Ø20 cm	1.6 to 1.8 L	Espiral, Flare, Amour, Cascada
Round pan Ø22 cm	2 to 2.3 L	Amour, Cascada, any of the 2.5 L ones
Round pan Ø24 cm	2.5 to 2.8 L	The 2.5 L ones
Rectangular loaf tin, 25 cm	1.5 to 1.8 L	Espiral, Flare

If your recipe doesn't name the pan but gives you the eggs, there is a rule of thumb that works surprisingly well: a 3-egg recipe fills a pan of 1.5 to 1.8 litres. A 4-egg one fills a pan of 2 to 2.5 litres.

Adjusting time and temperature

When you change pan, two things change: the thickness of the batter and the surface exposed to the heat.

If you move to a wider, shallower pan, the batter sits thinner and bakes sooner. Take off 5 to 10 minutes and start checking early.

If you move to a narrower, taller pan, the batter sits thicker and takes longer. Add 10 to 15 minutes, and if you see it browning on the outside too soon, drop the oven by 10 degrees and give it longer.

If you move from a plain round pan to a decorative cake pan, take off about 5 minutes for the effect of the central tube.

If you move to mini pans, like the Tetrad, it changes quite a lot: 18 to 25 minutes instead of the 40 or 50 of a large decorative cake pan. Keep a close eye on them the first time.

In every case, the skewer test beats any written time.

The two-thirds rule, and why it exists

A sponge rises by between a third and half of its starting volume, depending on how much raising agent it carries and how much air you have whisked in.

If you fill the pan beyond two thirds, it has nowhere to grow and it goes over the edge. And in a decorative cake pan that is worse than in a plain one, because whatever spills over bakes stuck to the outer wall and anchors the crown to the pan. Even if the inside comes away cleanly, you won't be able to get it out.

If you have batter left over, don't force it in: make a few fairy cakes or use a small extra pan.

The three most common mistakes

Trusting the diameter instead of the capacity. Two pans of twenty-four centimetres can hold very different amounts depending on their height and their relief pattern. In our own table you'll see pans with the same measurements and different litres because of the pattern they have.

Not adjusting the time. Changing pan and keeping the recipe's time is the number one cause of a cake that is raw inside or dry outside.

Scaling the recipe without thinking. If you need fifty per cent more batter, multiply the ingredients, but don't multiply the time by the same. A bigger pan takes longer, but not proportionally.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know my pan's capacity? Fill it with water up to the rim using a measuring jug and write down the millilitres. The scale works too: the grams of water it holds are the millilitres of capacity.

How far do you fill a cake pan? Up to two thirds of its height. Sponges rise by between a third and half of their volume, and they need that space so they don't overflow.

How do I adapt a round-pan recipe to a decorative cake pan? Compare capacities, not diameters. A round 20 cm pan is about 1.6 to 1.8 litres. Moving to a decorative cake pan, take about 5 minutes off the oven time for the effect of the central tube.

How much batter does a 4-egg recipe make? As a guide, it fills a pan of 2 to 2.5 litres. A 3-egg recipe fills one of 1.5 to 1.8 litres.

Which pan do I use if the recipe asks for a 22 cm one? Any of 2 to 2.5 litres. In our range, Amour, Cascada or any of the 2.5 litre ones.