Doubling a cake recipe? Can I? Does it depend on the recipe?

Hi! I know that many recipes just don't double well, but what about a standard scratch cake? The recipe I'm using makes an 8" square but I'd like to double the recipe and then bake in a 9x13 pan. The ingredients are: butter, powdered sugar, eggs, milk, & self-rising flour. What do y'all think? Many thanks!

em-i-lis
  • Posted by: em-i-lis
  • September 15, 2011
  • 37437 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

boulangere
boulangere September 15, 2011
I double, triple, quadruple, and more all the time. Double, double away.
 
em-i-lis
em-i-lis September 15, 2011
Many thanks, y'all!
 
wssmom
wssmom September 15, 2011
I have had success in halving cake recipes (we have a small family!); the same logic largely applies to doubling. The key is to have a pan that is double the area so the depth remains the same. An 8 by 8 pan is 64 square inches; a 9 by 13 pan is 117 square inches, which is slightly less than double. You would then have to increase the baking time somewhat to handle the increased depth of the batter. Most sites recommend lowering the baking temperature as well, which would neccesitate a good deal of monitoring. Would it not be easier to make two 8 by 8 pans?
 
beyondcelery
beyondcelery September 15, 2011
I think you could double the recipe just fine. Just watch your batter and if it seems much thicker than usual, add a little more milk. If it seems too thin, add a little more flour. We're talking very little of either, just to bring the ratios more into balance. I double cake recipes all the time and so long as you pay attention and adjust if anything seems off, it works fine. Going 3x or 4x is usually where cake can get a little wonky, in my experience.
 
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