Hey all,
I tried to figure out how much of a recipe to make, and my calculations were:
9 inch cake pan= 3.14*(4.5^2)*2 = 127.17
6 inch cake pan= 3.14*(3^2)*2= 56.52
4 inch cake pan= 3.14*(2^2)*2 = 25.12
so, in order to make a 6 inch cake, I need to do 44% of the 9-inch recipe,
and to make 4 inch cake, I need approx. 20% of the recipe. right?
So what i don’t know is- whether the mixing time should be altered [since there is much less batter]. baking time will change of course.
Also, slightly irrelevant- Does anyone recommend a light [as in not heavy like chocolate buttercreams] frosting, and filling that goes well with the cake?
I thought maybe some lemon curd lightened with low-fat cream cheese, or some swiss meringue/buttercream mixed with raspberry jelly?
Note that when going from a larger pan to a smaller pan, you might want to increase your BT just a tad. The BP amount was designed to make a 9” layer flat all the way across. This same “strength” will make a smaller pan dome. If you increase the BP a bit (maybe 1/8 tsp. per FULL 9x2” recipe), you’re likely to get flatter tops on your smaller cakes. That said, if my estimate is wrong, you couild get a bird bath. So I mention it as an experimental amount!
Of course, a domed cake is better than a sunken cake, becuase you can cut the top off and eat it!
I think both of your topping ideas are fab. I used lemon neoclassic, and it was great!!!
Note that when going from a larger pan to a smaller pan, you might want to increase your BT just a tad. The BP amount was designed to make a 9” layer flat all the way across. This same “strength” will make a smaller pan dome. If you increase the BP a bit (maybe 1/8 tsp. per FULL 9x2” recipe), you’re likely to get flatter tops on your smaller cakes. That said, if my estimate is wrong, you couild get a bird bath. So I mention it as an experimental amount!
Of course, a domed cake is better than a sunken cake, becuase you can cut the top off and eat it!
I think both of your topping ideas are fab. I used lemon neoclassic, and it was great!!!
—ak
Ohmigosh, I totally forgot about the baking powder! Thank you!
So, I made the cake twice.
Both times I made 1/2 a recipe [45g egg-whites, 80g milk..] and divided between 2 4-inch cake pans, so that each pan will be fulled about halfway, 150g approx.
[and 2 cupcakes]
The first problem is that the cakes sank in the middle- maybe it’s the baking powder? I just halved it without trying to figure out how much to add to make the layers flat because I don’t really mind a domed cake.
The second problem is that the sides were not perfect- we don’t have baker’s joy here so i sprayed with Pam and floured, but the sides of the cakes were kinda rough and raggedy. They were not smooth and perfect [or anything near it]. The first time I thought maybe it’s because i overwet the home-made cakestrips, so the second time I just dampened a paper towel and wrapped around.
Now I think I need to decrease the baking powder and maybe bake the cakes in the middle of the oven- as in RHC it says to bake in the lower rack.
But it’s all gueestimates; any advice would be appreciated!
Did you scale the baking powder along with the recipe, or did you add more?
If all ingredients are weighed or very accurately measured, a sunken middle is normally due to too much baking powder or underbaking, either by time or temp.
I did not add more baking powder- I scaled it like the rest of the recipe, because I was afraid of getting a sunken middle [and I actually measured it by volume because i fear the scale is not that accurate with such small amounts].
Anyway, update!:
I baked half a recipe in 2x4-inch cakes and the remaining batter in one ramekin, this time with just 1 1/4 tsp baking powder [instead of another 1/16], and baked them in the MIDDLE rack- and it was great- no sunken middle and the taste was divine.
I’m still not convinced about the color because it was not white so maybe something is off, and the sides are still not as ‘smooth’ as i would’ve hoped.
Hi McBrownie, I spray Pam inside my cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. How much batter did you pour in each 4 inch pan? How long did you let them bake? Also when you say you did half a recipe for the 4 inch pans did you mean half of the 2 layer cake recipe from TCB?
I weighed the completed batter and poured 2/5 of that into each cake pan, about 150-160 grams.
In my first try they baked for 25 mins, I think, or just the minimum time according to the recipe. A cake tester came out clean but they almost collapsed when i unmolded theml; they were verging on underbaked. They crust was pale and the interior yellow not white and def not velvet
The second time I added a few more minutes and it wasn’t marginally better. The texture was better, though.
The third time was a charm although I’m not sure how white the cake’s inside should look like..
I baked the cakes for about 30 minutes.
Oh, and I halved a RHC recipe because it was for 2-inch-high pans.
Hey Anne!
Yeah, the parts that are in direct contact with the heat/pan are golden, but the inside isn’t so white! At least mine.
I know overbaking can cause the color to yellow-en and the texture to become dense, but my texture was fine, at least in the third batch.
I do have one from the third batch left in the fridge, maybe that one’s good. It was baked without strips.
Hmm, I didn’t make a whole recipe; I halved the 9x2 recipe and filled two 4x2 pans..
The sinking problem was fixed in the third batch- I just placed the pans in the middle [as opposed to the lower third] rack!
Sorry! Missed that! Yes, then two 4x2 with a cuppie is perfect.
Come to think of it, I think I get less raggedy sides when I use nonstick—when I bake a cake in my mini non-stick loaf pans, I don’t get raggedy edges, but when I bake in a regular aluminum cake pan, I do.
I use Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening, then I put down a waxed paper or parchment circle, then put shortening on it, then flour—but I get raggedy edges. I do the same thing in nonstick (except my parchment/wax is rectangular ), and I get smooth edges. I figure that with the nonstick, I don’t have to run a spatchula around the pan. I just tap the thing out—just like a bundt. With the aluminum, I have to run the spatch.
Maybe, then, if you like clean edges, you might like the Williams-Sonoma gold pans—they’re my friend’s fave pans and are supposed to be a high quality. You could just get particular sizes for when you don’t want to frost. Of course, if it doesn’t work, you can return them, because they have a very good return policy.
), and I get smooth edges. I figure that with the nonstick, I don’t have to run a spatchula around the pan. I just tap the thing out—just like a bundt. With the aluminum, I have to run the spatch. 
