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FAQ: How to measure the volume of a cake tin?

FAQ: How to measure the volume of a cake tin?How to measure the volume of a cake tin

How do I measure the volume of a cake tin?

This is one of those questions I get asked a lot…. or rather “How much ingredients do I need for my teddy bear / football shirt/ sphere size cake tin?” (please enter any obscure measurement or shape tin in here!) and I reply with the same answer each time…

“If you can measure the volume of water your cake tin can hold I can work it out for you”


The volume of a cake tin.

I use a formula that is calculated from the volume of a recipe and then I calculate up or down from there. The original cake is my base line. Mine is a 6″ Madeira cake for which the cake tin holds 1200ml of water. Once I know what the volume of the odd shaped tin is I can calculate the ingredients. I learnt how to do this from Ruth Clemens on The Pink Whisk. It’s very number-y. You can see how I learnt to do this on this post or check out Ruth’s post here. It took me a while to work it out – especially when the calculation said 1 ½ eggs. I mean how do you get half an egg? (Actually I know the answer to that. You weigh it and use half!)

I’ve been asked so many times that I thought I better show you how I measure the volume of a cake tin.How to measure the volume of a cake tin

  1. The first step is to line your tin if it has a loose bottom. I use bin bags – the ones with no holes in!
  2. Then I add 1 litre at a time till I am 1-2cm from the top of the cake tin.
  3. Write it down or do a tally chart as you go so you don’t loose count. When in doubt go less water than more. I have found that less cake mix results in a taller, lighter cake.
  4. Tip out the water and check the volume against this chart below.
  5. If you need the steps on how to make the madeira cake have a look at this post which goes through it step by step. 

Madeira cake chart - April 2015

It’s that simple.


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