The Easiest Way To Convert Cupcake Recipe To Cake

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Last Updated on February 12, 2022

This extremely thorough guide will show you the easiest way to convert a cupcake recipe to cake – no matter what size you need!

We have researched and compiled a list of everything you need to know when it comes to converting standard, mini, and even jumbo cupcakes to different-sized cakes. We even included baking temperatures and times you have to follow to make your life even easier!

Cupcake Recipes vs Cake Recipes

Chances are that you have at some point in your baking journey made a beautiful and delicious cake and some pretty cupcakes. But, have you ever noticed the difference in recipes between these two?

No? Well, that is because there isn’t any! Cupcakes and cakes both fall under the same family of pastries and use virtually the exact same recipes. The biggest and almost only difference is that they are baked in different forms and sizes.

What will differ between recipes is the type of cake you are making. For cupcake recipes, bakers most often use pound cake recipes. A pound cake is essentially a cake that uses a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, a pound of flour, and a pound of eggs.

This gives you a very light texture, but a tight crumb. This consistency is perfect for cupcakes as they are smaller and need more structure to hold the frosting and decorations.

This means making cupcakes into a cake is extremely easy.

Read more about Pound Cake Cupcake Recipes From Scratch.

How To Convert Cupcake Recipe To Cake Recipe?

Like we have mentioned, converting a cupcake recipe to a cake recipe is very easy. You do not have to change anything in the recipe itself. By this, we naturally mean not to change the ratio of the ingredients.

Most cupcake recipes are some type of pound cake recipe. So, you will be turning cupcakes into a pound cake as well.

The key to cupcake to cake conversion is the amount of batter you need for the size cake you want. Luckily, this is an area of our expertise and we have assembled a cheat sheet for you to use!

There are some other tweaks that you will have to make, but those have more to do with baking times and cooling methods.

How Many Standard Cupcakes Are In A Cake?

When working with a standard 24-cupcake recipe, you can make any of the following sized cakes;

• Three (3) 6-inch round cake layers
• Two (2) 8-inch round cake layers
• Two (2) 9-inch round cake layers
• One (1) 10-inch bundt pan
• One (1) 9 x 13-inch baking pan

Slightly larger cupcake batters are best suited for larger cakes as follows;

• Three (3) 8-inch round cake layers
• One (1) 9 x 13-inch baking pan

How many mini cupcakes are in a cake?

As the name suggests, mini cupcakes are mini versions of regular cupcakes. Usually, a standard 24-cupcake recipe makes about 72 mini cupcakes.

So, if you are using a 72 mini cupcake recipe, you can use the above-mentioned conversions using a standard 24 cupcake recipe.

How many jumbo cupcakes are in a cake?

Jumbo cupcakes on the other hand are nearly twice as big as regular cupcakes. Almost the size of big muffins! One standard 24 cupcake recipe makes between 9 and 12 jumbo cupcakes!

We like to work on 12 jumbo cupcakes, so you can easily use the conversions mentioned above.

How To Make Cupcakes Into A Cake? – Baking Times And Temperatures

Baking times are extremely important to consider when converting cupcakes into a cake – it is arguably the second most important consideration! Naturally, the bigger the cake is, the longer it will take to bake. Cupcakes generally take less than 20 minutes to be fully baked, but some cakes can take up to an hour (or longer even)!

Now, when we are talking about “bigger” we don’t only necessarily refer to a bigger pan. You also have to think about the thickness of the layer. A small 6-inch pan that has been filled to the rim will take much longer to fully bake compared to a 9-inch pan that is only 1-inch thick.

You can also use the same temperature for cakes and cupcakes. The best temperature to bake cakes (and cupcakes) at is 350°F. This temperature allows you to slowly and evenly bake the cake while also browning it nicely.

With that in mind, here are some baking times you can follow when you are converting cupcakes into cake layers.

Tips For A Cupcake To Cake Conversion

• When making the conversion, it is still important to follow basic baking instructions for cake as you usually would. To test whether or not your cake has fully cooked, insert a toothpick or cake testing needle into the thickest area. When you are removing it, make sure that the needle or pick comes out clean. If not, continue baking for a couple more minutes or until done.
• Always line your baking pans! You can either use non-stick cooking spray or baking paper, or you can use melted butter and flour. Brush the entire pan with melted butter and lightly dust it in cake flour. This method works great for bundt cake pans!
• Always cool your cake properly!

Learn more about How To Cool A Cake Overnight.

Final Thoughts: How To Make Cupcakes Into A Cake?

What did we tell you? If this is not the easiest guide you have ever come across, you will never be able to find one! If you loved this tutorial, please share it with your friends or let us know in the comments below!

Lindy Van Schalkwyk

Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.

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