Pan Size

• As a general rule, the deeper your batter will fill the pan, the longer the cooking time needs to be. For this reason, smaller diameter pans require a slightly longer cooking time than larger, shallower pans. Bake 8-by-1 1/2-inch pans for 35 to 40 minutes, 9-by-1 1/2-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes, 13-by-9-by-2-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes and 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pans for 25 to 30 minutes. Cupcake tins should not be filled more than half full, and usually take from 18 to 23 minutes to bake. When using 8- or 9-inch pans that are deeper -- 2 inches instead of 1 1/2 inches -- add five minutes to the cooking time.
  
  

Pan Material

• Baking times also vary by the cake pan's material. Recipes usually give baking instructions for light-colored metal pans. If you are using a glass dish or a metal pan that is dark in color, reduce your oven's temperature setting by 25 degrees. These materials distribute heat differently and sometimes bake the bottom of the cake too quickly, causing it to burn.
  
  

Measuring Your Pan

• If you are uncertain of the size of your pan, you can measure it yourself. Using a ruler, measure inside the pan from the bottom to the lip, keeping the ruler vertical. Do not follow the side of the pan if it is slanted outward. This is your depth measurement. Measure the pan's diameter by placing the ruler over the top of the pan and measuring inside the lip on either side. Be sure you are at the widest point if the pan is round.
  
  

Tube Pans

• Since tube and Bundt pans have a hollow center, they make a much deeper, hollow cake, and they cook differently. You cannot substitute other cake pans when a recipe calls for a tube or Bundt pan. Due to the depth of these pans, their bake times are often double those of other cakes; follow your recipe carefully.
  
  

Checking for Doneness

• Test any cake for doneness by checking its color, watching for separation from the sides of the pan and noting springiness when the cake is slightly depressed in the center with your finger. You can also test doneness by inserting a clean wooden toothpick into the center of the cake. A clean toothpick indicates the cake is done.