Why is it important to select the right pan size?

Answer 1

Using a baking pan that is too large causes fewer problems than one that is too small. Most batters expand many times their size in baking. Using a pan that is too small will cause the finished product to crack at best, and to overflow the pans at worst. Using too large a pan will change the texture of the finished product. For example, baking brownies in a 9 x 9 pan when an 8 x 8 pan is called for means the batter will spread out too thin on the sides and at the corners, and it may burn. The brownies themselves will be too flat and will not have the desired chewy texture.

Answer 2

Recipes have usually been tested by baking in standard sized tins or pans and cooking temperatures and times have been adjusted accordingly.

In baking you want the product to rise and be cooked in the middle so that it is not wet,stodgy or heavy and so that it keeps well without going mouldy. Factors like the depth of the pan; whether it's round, rectangular or a ring tin; and the surface area exposed at the top can all effect the rate at which moisture will evaporate from the cake and its internal temperature during baking.

There's no need to panic if you don't have a cake tin that's an exact match for the one the recipe calls for. The important factors are: is your cake tin a similar height; does it hold a similar volume? If you have to use 2 smaller cake tins instead - no problem; the cooking time will be reduced and you can always sandwich the 2 cakes together with whipped cream, jam or frosting. It doesn't really matter if your cake is flatter but bigger than the one in the picture. What matters is if it is thoroughly cooked and tastes good.

Other factors like your altitude, individual temperature gauge differences, if you open the oven door during cooking, the capacity of the oven and if you're cooking something else at the same time can also affect results.

The important thing is that you learn to tell when a cake is cooked. Does a skewer inserted diagonally down through the middle of the cake come out clean? Is the cake starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin? Has the cake risen to a gentle dome? Does it look set? Does it wobble if you shake the tin? If you put your ear close to it can you hear it gently singing?

Don't open the oven door till 2/3 of the estimated cooking time has elapsed. Make a note of the tin you used, how long it took to bake and the position of the oven shelf and use these as a guide the next time you make the cake.

Relax - good baking is an interpretative art rather than a science.

Answer 3

The right pan size is important for the baked product to cook properly. Dough or batter will spread out in a pan that is too large, resulting in a thin, over-baked product. If the pan is too small, the product might spill over, or fail to bake properly in the center.