Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

i am baking 2 Madeira cakes – 1 8″ square cake and 1 8″ round cake. The square is to be baked for 2 hrs so where do I find a converter to tell me how long to bake the round cake? I have looked at the ready reckoner but this only gives cake up or downsizing. Thank you.

Hello Sky Cakes

There is no converter for timing. The baking time given in any recipe is simply a guide. All ovens and recipes are different and It is for the baker to gauge the time given for a particular recipe in their own oven. In my own oven, using my tried recipe, I would normally bake an 8″ round maderia cake for approximately 1hr 20min, although it can sometimes take more time and sometimes less. Not all maderia recipes bake for the same time. You can gauge the recipe which you are using by determining the volume of batter each pan has. An 8″ square pan has a third more batter than an 8″ round. The round cake would bake quicker than the square, however you would not necessarily bake it for a third of the time less. This will just give you an approximate time from which to work from, while keeping an eye and nose on the cake for doneness.
My blog will give you a better explanation why it is not possible to give definite timings and why it is important to gauge different recipes in your own oven. Some types of equipment being used at the time of baking can also have a bearing on timing. Here is the blog:
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/baking-problems-solutions

Hope it helps.