Wedding Cake Tin Depth: How Deep Is Too Deep?

Wedding cakes can vary in size, but a traditional wedding cake has three tiers. The depth of each tier is important to ensure the cake is cooked properly and to create the desired shape. The top tier is often 6 inches, the middle tier 8 inches, and the bottom tier 10 inches. Each tier should be two inches deep, but the cake tins should be three inches deep to prevent overflow.

Filling cake tins

Choosing the Right Cake Tin

Start by selecting the appropriate cake tin size for your desired cake. For a wedding cake, a traditional three-tier cake is common, with standard sizes being 6 inches, 8 inches, and 10 inches for the top, middle, and bottom tiers, respectively. However, you can adjust the sizes based on the number of guests, with a 12-inch cake serving as a larger bottom tier.

Prepare Your Cake Tin

Before filling your cake tin, it's essential to prepare it properly. Here are some key steps:

• Line your circular tin: Place the tin on rolled-out baking paper and draw around it with a pencil. Cut out the circle and grease the tin lightly or use a baking spray. Line the tin with the paper circle.
• Loaf, square, or rectangular tin: Cut the baking paper to fit the tin generously. Grease the base lightly and press the paper into the tin, ensuring it reaches the corners. Cut from the corner of the paper into the corner of the tin, allowing for a neat overlap.
• Bundt or shaped cake tin: Use a little butter on a clean kitchen towel to grease the inside of the tin carefully, avoiding over-greasing.

Filling the Cake Tin

Now, it's time to fill your cake tin with batter. Here are some tips to ensure success:

• The Golden Rule: Fill your cake tin only two-thirds full. This leaves ample room for the cake to rise and prevents overflow.
• Avoid Overfilling: Overflowing batter can make a mess of your oven. Use the two-thirds rule as a guide to prevent this.
• Allow for Expansion: If your recipe calls for a specific tin size, it's best to use the recommended size. If you use a different tin, fill it two-thirds full and adjust the baking temperature accordingly.
• Layer Cakes: For a layer cake, the standard sizes are 20-25cm/8-10 inches in diameter. Having multiple tins of these sizes can speed up the baking process.

Additional Tips

Keep these extra tips in mind for a seamless cake-tin filling experience:

• Cake Tin Liners: If you bake frequently, consider using ready-made cake tin liners or pre-cut greaseproof baking paper circles for convenience.
• Non-Stick Cooking Sprays: While pricier, non-stick cooking sprays designed for baking are a quick and easy option. Simply spray the tin, and it's ready for your batter.
• Filling Amounts: For a three-tier wedding cake, you'll need approximately 24 cups of cake batter: 4 cups for the top tier, 7-8 cups for the middle tier, and 12 cups for the bottom tier.

By following these guidelines and tips, you'll be well on your way to filling your cake tins like a professional baker. Happy baking!

Lining cake tins

Lining your cake tins is essential to ensure your cake doesn't stick to the tin. This is especially important for large cakes, such as wedding cakes, which tend to have a wide base and shallow sides. Here is a step-by-step guide to lining your cake tins:

Step 1: Measure the Cake Tin

Take a sheet of greaseproof paper and place the base of your tin on it. Use a sharp pencil to outline the circumference of the tin. Cut around this line, leaving a two-inch border. This border will be folded up the sides of the tin, so it should be about one inch taller than the height of your tin.

Step 2: Prepare the Base

Fold the paper about an inch from the bottom. Undo the fold and cut along the crease about an inch apart. This will allow the paper to fit around the circular base of the tin. Place the tin on the paper and trace around it with a pencil to mark the size of the base. Cut out this circle.

Step 3: Grease the Tin

Grease the inside of the tin with butter or a special pan spray. This will help the paper stick to the sides of the tin. You can also dust the tin with flour, especially if you are baking something with a large surface area that is liable to stick.

Step 4: Fit the Paper

Fit the long strip of paper around the sides of the tin, pushing it down to the base edge. Then, place the circular piece of paper into the base of the tin. Trim off any excess paper, leaving about two inches of paper above the edge of the tin.

Tips:

• You can use the extra piece of greaseproof paper cut for the circumference to double-line the tin.
• Pre-cut paper rounds are available in varying sizes if you don't want to cut your own.
• If using a loose-bottomed or springform tin, it is still recommended to prepare them with grease, flour, and greaseproof paper.
• Always grease your tin, even if it is non-stick.

Cake tin sizes

The cake tin sizes you will need will depend on the number of tiers you want for your wedding cake. Traditionally, wedding cakes have three tiers, with the bottom base being eaten at the ceremony, the middle tier being distributed to guests after the event, and the top tier being saved. However, some couples choose to forego this tradition in favour of single or double-tier cakes.

Once you know how many tiers you need, you can choose the right cake tins to make them. It is recommended to choose cake tins two inches smaller than the one below them to create the perfect shape. Here are some common wedding cake tin sizes and the number of servings for each:

• 6 inches: Top tier providing 10 servings
• 8 inches: Top or middle tier providing 20-24 servings
• 10 inches: Middle or bottom tier providing 30-38 servings
• 12 inches: Bottom tier providing 45-56 servings

It is important to note that these sizes are just guidelines, and you may need to adjust them depending on the number of guests invited to the wedding and the couple's wishes.

When preparing your cake tins, it is recommended to fill them only two-thirds full to leave room for the cake to rise and prevent overflow. You can line your cake tins with baking paper or use non-stick cooking sprays specifically for baking.

Cake boards

When selecting cake circles, choose boards that are the exact size of each tier. Once all the tiers are stacked, these boards will be hidden through piping work. The cake drum, or bottom board, should be two to four inches wider than the bottom cake tier to provide adequate clearance. This board can be decorated to match the style and theme of the wedding.

Coated cake boards are perfect for supporting tiered cakes or using under cakes. They are bleached on one side with a grease-proof finish and have smooth edges. Silver and White Cake SOS Compressed Boards are strong, durable, and flexible, with round boards measuring 2 millimetres in thickness and rectangle boards measuring 3 millimetres.

Masonite cake boards provide sturdy support for heavy tiered cakes. They come in various colours and patterns, including marble, black and white, and plain brown, which can be easily covered with foil or contact paper. These boards are typically 6 millimetres thick.

Scalloped cake boards are another option, offering reliability and ease of stacking and storage. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colours, including round, silver, gold, and white, and can be used for heavy cakes, small cakes, muffins, and pastries.

Cake dowels

A wedding cake typically has three tiers, with the bottom tier cut and eaten at the ceremony, the middle tier distributed to guests after the event, and the top tier saved. The number of tiers in a wedding cake can vary, however, with some couples opting for single or double-tier cakes.

The depth of each tier will depend on the type of cake being made. Fruit cakes, for example, are typically deeper than sponge cakes. A fruit cake tier should be at least 7-8 cm deep, with some recipes calling for a depth of 12 cm or more. Sponge cakes, on the other hand, can be as shallow as 2-3 cm.

When creating a tiered cake, it is important to use cake dowels to provide support and prevent the bottom tiers from collapsing under the weight of the top tiers. Cake dowels are typically made of plastic or wood and are inserted into the cake to provide structural stability. Here are some tips for using cake dowels:

• Use a dowel for every 2 inches of cake. For example, a 12-inch cake will need six dowels.
• Chill your cake sponges before adding dowels to ensure they are firm and secure.
• Wash and dry wooden dowels to avoid contamination.
• Cut dowels down to size away from your cakes and ingredients to avoid falling sawdust.
• Insert dowels straight, not at an angle.
• If using wooden dowels, you can sharpen them to make it easier to insert them through the cake boards.
• If you are concerned about food safety, you can insert wooden dowels into drinking straws before inserting them into the cake.
• Alternatively, you can use other materials such as boba straws, paper straws, or pretzel rods as supports, although these may not be as strong as plastic or wooden dowels.

Frequently asked questions