How To Scale Up A Cake Recipe

In all of the amazing baking that has been going on this past yr, ane thing has become something of a conundrum. Without the benefit of big gatherings, or working in offices, or attending school in person, recipes that brand large cakes simply make too much block for one household to consume before it goes dried.

This upshot increases exponentially if you live in a household of only one or ii. Only that doesn't hateful you need to get down a rabbit hole of mug cakes for one. It just means you lot should become to know your recipes and how to calibration them downwards. However, that's not equally easy as yous might recollect. With savory cooking, scaling down usually means merely cutting a recipe in half. Just the science of baking makes this risky.

So what's the solution? You are ever ameliorate off simply blistering a full recipe in several smaller baking pans rather than attempting to effigy out what half an egg would fifty-fifty mean, let alone how to become there!

When you bake a full block recipe in smaller pans, you'll end up with several smaller portions — 1 to eat now and a few to share or to store for later. But there are some tips and tricks to make this easier, and some pitfalls to avert. I'll share tips for baking cakes in smaller sizes, plus how to freeze the extras.

Tips for baking cakes in smaller sizes

variety of baking pans in different sizes and shapes

Most cakes, including cheesecakes, can be successfully baked in smaller baking pans by just adjusting the baking time based on how modest you have made them. You do not need to modify any other aspect of the recipe — from ingredient amounts to blistering temperature — just the size of the container and the length of the baking time. This is so much easier than attempting to divide a recipe to make less!

Mostly speaking, converting larger block recipes to smaller baking pans means turning large cakes similar Bundt cakes or sail cakes into either cupcakes, muffins, or small-scale loaves; scaling layer cakes into cupcakes or mini layer block; and turning big loaf cakes into pocket-size loaves or muffins. Cheesecake recipes can be broiled in a couple of smaller springform pans or even in cupcake pans to brand mini cheesecakes.

Tips for freezing, storing, and thawing small cakes

mini bundt cake wrapped in plastic for freezing

Cakes should be frozen in as close to whole class equally possible. For best results, let baked items cool completely earlier freezing portions or whole items on a parchment lined sheet pan. When they're frozen solid, wrap individually in plastic wrap and shop in zip-top freezer bags for up to iv–half-dozen months. This will allow you lot to dole out treats equally needed and volition prevent freezer burn.

To thaw frozen cake, get out information technology wrapped in plastic wrap and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or on your countertop for an hour or and then.
To thaw frozen cheesecake, leave it wrapped in plastic and thaw overnight in the fridge.

Freezing and thawing cake concoction

Some other selection for downsizing your cakes is to make your cake batter and utilise a portion of it to bake a small block, then freeze the rest of the concoction to use some other time. Whatever cake batter that is either oil-based or follows the creaming method, and does non utilize whipped egg whites for leavening, tin exist frozen in batter state. Frozen cake batters baked from cold rise meliorate and have ameliorate texture than those that are allowed to warm up.

Transfer the batter you do not need to an airtight container and press a piece of plastic wrap straight on the concoction surface to preclude freezer fire.
Thaw frozen cake batter overnight in the fridge, and broil from common cold. Do not let the batter come to room temperature.
Add a picayune extra time to the baking to recoup for the chill.

Note: Do not thaw and refreeze cakes or cake batter.

two loaf pans filled with cake batter

Which cakes bake and freeze well?

For starters, figure out if your block recipe freezes well. It should say and so right in the instructions and will likely give yous some guidance on how to freeze for best success. Freezing broiled goods and their components for future desserts is the easiest way to do good from scaling downwardly a recipe. If you have space in your freezer, this tin can give you a terrific stash of future treats and desserts that are fast and piece of cake. Properly wrapped cakes tin can be frozen for upward to 4–half dozen months.

If your recipe does non freeze well, making smaller versions makes information technology easier to share the bounty of your kitchen, and whole smaller bakes stay fresh longer than large ones that have portions removed. For example, shifting your glazed tube block to glazed muffins makes it both easily shareable and storable.

Layer cakes with fillings and/or frostings

Generally, cakes with whipped cream or custard fillings or frostings practice not freeze as well equally those with a buttercream fashion filling or frosting. And you lot will e'er discover that you'll accept an easier time freezing something unfrosted and unfilled. Whether you are making a two-layer cake that you lot want to convert from one ix–10 inch cake to two 6-inch cakes, or turning the recipe into frosted cupcakes, information technology'southward all-time to freeze cake and fillings or frostings separately for associates afterward.

Tube or Bundt cakes

You can find miniature versions of these cakes in the course of tins that might concur 4–viii smaller versions, or y'all tin bake in muffin tins. If your tube cake recipe is one that rises tall, like an angel nutrient or chiffon style cake, consider baking in popover pans which tin help get that rise. Angel food and chiffon cakes freeze well.

Sweet breads and loaf cakes

These convert actually well to muffins of any size or mini loaf tins, and normally freeze beautifully.

Sheet pan or snacking way cakes

These convert well to cupcakes or muffins and freeze well.

Cheesecakes

large, medium, and small springform pans

Yous can plough a total cheesecake recipe into smaller cheesecakes. A recipe for a single 9–10 inch springform will make two 6–seven inch cheesecakes or four 4-inch cheesecakes. Or y'all can bake them in muffin tins as mini cheesecakes. Cheesecakes freeze well.

Baking in a water bath. If your cake or cheesecake recipe calls for being baked in a water bath, be sure that the vessel you scale downwards into is watertight. Information technology can exist tempting to put mini cheesecakes in footling tartlets pans with removeable bottoms, just those bottoms are not watertight in a water bath. Consider blistering in small ramekins; you can easily wrap and freeze the extras as convenient single-servings.

Mistakes to avoid

Overbaking

While you will bake at the same temperature as the original recipe, the bake time volition be shorter. This might be ii-thirds of the baking time for a slightly smaller version, like when you shift a 9-inch cake to a 6-inch, or information technology might be as little as a quarter of the fourth dimension, equally with converting a Bundt cake to cupcakes. Anything you lot brand in a mini muffin tin might only accept iv–8 minutes. The smaller the individual items, the earlier and more frequently you should cheque for doneness. Smaller items can overbake and dry out much more than speedily than large ones, so we recommend sticking to the kitchen while they bake, peculiarly the first fourth dimension you effort it.

Sticking

Small baking vessels accept a much stronger propensity for items to stick in them. Be sure to prep your pans well co-ordinate to the recipe directions, simply likewise consider adding some extra protection in the class of parchment paper or foil slings — a strip of parchment paper or folded aluminum foil underneath the baked good gives you an piece of cake manner to lift things out. For mini loaves, employ a long strip the length of the interior with enough overhang to lift them out. For muffin tins of any size, consider an 10 of 2 strips of parchment or foil to assist create that sling.