How High To Fill A Cake Pan

In one case you've decided what size of tiers y'all need to make, it'southward time to figure out how much block batter you need per pan. Whether you're making your own wedding cake, or making 1 for someone else, it can be challenging knowing how much batter yous need to make.

There are a couple different means to do this. This beginning is a simple adding with cups. I include a chart below showing how many cups of batter y'all need to make unlike sized cake layers.

I've found using a liquid measuring cup for this works best, rather than a dry measuring cup.

However, yous need to know exactly how many cups one batch of the block recipe y'all plan to apply makes. This can vary drastically recipe to recipe.

The second method is a bit more math intensive, merely I actually prefer it! I think information technology's more than precise, and less messy 🙂

baked cake layers for a tiered wedding cake

Method 1: The Cup Method

If you lot don't want to exercise any calculations, this method is for y'all! It volition quickly give you the reply you need.

In the below table, I share how many cups of batter you need per pan. It's based on pan size and shape. My one caveat is that certain recipes rise more than than others.

My vanilla layer block recipe (shown below) rises less than sponge cake recipes, and then I've besides included a column with the calculations for information technology too.

image of a 6-inch cake layer that's been leveled and trimmed using a serrated knife

Based on the recipe y'all utilize, you may want to use slightly more or less concoction to make your cake layers the perfect height (once baked and leveled). This is why it's of import to test a recipe earlier making a large tiered block.

Testing a recipe in advance helps you know the ascent of the batter, and then you can arrange as needed.

I've included the amount of batter you lot demand for a 1-inch cake layer, or a 2-inch cake layer. Traditional nuptials cakes are made with two, ii-inch cake layers.

However, I like to make my tiered cakes with three, 1-inch cake layers. I likewise add a very generous amount of buttercream between each cake layer (nearly one/4 of an inch).

This makes my tiers the perfect wedding block elevation (four inches tall).

image of my moist chocolate cake batter being poured into 8 inch cake pans

The height of my tiers tin vary though! The amount of frosting I employ, how many cake layers I utilise, and how I level my cake layers all affect the pinnacle of each tier.

While a standard wedding cake serving is 4 inches tall, sometimes I make my tiers taller based on the look I'k later for a cake. I also vary the pinnacle based on what the bride and groom request.

My Block Batter Calculator – Nautical chart Showing How Much Cake Batter Per Pan Y'all Need

cake batter guide for different sized pans

One batch of my vanilla cake recipe makes nigh ten one/2 cups of concoction.

If I wanted to make a circular cake with four, seven-inch cake layers, I would need almost 1 batch of block batter (two one/two cups per seven-inch layer, x 4 layers = ten cups of concoction)

I highly recommend testing out a cake recipe ahead of time, to know how many cups of concoction information technology makes, and how loftier it rises as it bakes.

You also need to account for the finished pinnacle of your block layers once they're leveled.

assembled semi-naked tiered wedding cake

If you'd like to larn more than almost serving sizes for weddings and parties, I highly recommend checking out my block portion guide.

Information technology walks through how many people different tiered cakes feed, and what size of cake you should make for big events.

Method 2: The Adding Method

Now for the nerdier, more than precise method. You can use math to figure out how much batter you need per pan!!

To do this, y'all need to know 2 important $.25 of information. The first is knowing how much batter 1 batch of the recipe you program to utilize makes.

The 2d thing you need to know is the equation of a circle! Become ready to relive traumatic memories from high schoolhouse geometry 😛

Using A Recipe You Know

If you have a tried and true cake recipe that y'all know and love, yous can use what you already know about the cake recipe to effigy this out!

I beloved using my vanilla layer cake recipe or my chocolate layer block recipe for wedding cakes, because they're incredibly moist and accept dandy structure.

My WASC cake recipe is also always a oversupply pleaser at big events.

image of a wedding cake sized out using a cake portion guide to determine how many servings and what size of cake needed to be made

When I bake a batch of either recipe, they both make iv, seven-inch cake layers that are roughly i-inch tall (one time leveled).

I can back my way into the amount of batter one batch makes by knowing this!

The Equation of a Cake Pan

This is where math comes into play. It's nothing crazy. It really only uses the equation of a circle, which is Pi (3.xiv) x radius squared. In this case with my vanilla cake recipe, I would outset calculate the volume of one block layer.

I'd take iii.14 (Pi) and multiply it by iii.5in x iii.5in (the radius of the cake layer squared). This would requite me 38.5 inches squared.

I know that my 7-inch cake layers are about 1-inch alpine once they're baked and leveled.

With that in mind, the volume of a single cake layer would be 38.v inches squared x ane inch, or 38.5 inches cubed.

Since 1 batch of batter makes 4 cake layers, that means it makes about 154 cubic inches of concoction (38.5 cubic inches ten 4 cake layers).

With this number, I can at present calculate the number of batches needed to make for any size of tiered cake.

image of chelsweets wedding cake — Me with my wedding block! It was fabricated with 12-inch, ten-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch tiers.

Example – Adding For A 3 Tiered Cake

Say I wanted to make a tiered cake with 12-inch, ix-inch, and 6-inch cake layers.

Each tier would exist made with 3 cake layers that are 1 inch tall. I would make the below calculations:

Full general Formula for whatsoever sized tier: Pi (3.14) x cake layer radius squared 10 cake layer meridian x number of cake layers
12 inch tier: 3.14 x (6 in. ten 6 in.) x 1 in. x 3 layers= 339 cubic inches
9 inch tier: 3.14 x (4.five in. x 4.5 in.) ten 1 in. 10 3 layers = 191 cubic inches
6 inch tier: 3.14 x (3 in. x three in.) x 1 in.10 3 layers = 85 cubic inches

This means in total, I will need 615 cubic inches of concoction (339+191+85).

Since I know i batch makes about 154 cubic inches, I will need to make 4 batches of batter.