Baking your favorite recipes in a half-sheet pan (2024)
OK, we're going to talk about math today, and how to make half-sheet pan-sized (13" x 18") batches of your favorite 9" x 13" recipes.
Before you get too freaked out, let's just start with the most correct answer: 1.5.
Back in the day, when I was in high school, my intellectual bent had way more to do with artistic seethings than anything mathematical. It wasn't until culinary school (that OTHER CIA, in Hyde Park, NY) that math made any sense to me.
There's plenty of math in baking. I use conversion factors more than anything else. Say you have a cookie recipe that makes 3 dozen cookies, but you need more cookies than that. Double everything, and you've multiplied all the ingredients by a conversion factor of 2. Simple.
Or, you're a small household, and really don't want to stare down a 9" x 13" pan of brownies for two weeks. You can cut the recipe in half, and bake it in an 8" square pan. The conversion factor there is .5. How did I know what size pan to bake in? I compared the bottom surface area of the pans involved. Take a look:
8" square pan on the left, 9" square pan on the right.
The 8" square pan has 79% of the area of the 9" square pan, and slightly more than half the area of the 9" x 13" pan.
As long as you're staying within 10% of the area the recipe was designed for, you can move back and forth between them. Now for the exception to what I just told you.
It would seem like a no-brainer that doubling a 9" x 13" recipe would be perfect in a 13" x 18" half-sheet pan. After all, 117 x 2 = 234 exactly. All the beauty and perfection that is mathematics says it should work, but there's one hitch.
The sides of the pan. All the other conversions we spoke of involve pans whose sides are at least 2" tall. The sides of a half-sheet pan are only 1" tall. At this point, it's time to introduce a third dimension (height) to our calculations, and that means we're talking about the recipe's volume, not just the area of the pan's bottom.
Leaving a perfectly innocent-looking pan with a double batch of cake in it...
...to perform the slow, hypnotic, lava-like overflow.
Believe you me, I learned this one the hard way – with brownies, which are much more of a volcanic experience. They just keep overflowing... and overflowing... and... The scent of burning chocolate and sugar rolls through the house (or test kitchen), as the shame washes over in waves. You don't want to go there.
Which brings me back to the answer: 1.5. For more portions with the same amount of work, remember one and a half times any 9" x 13" recipe will give you a half-sheet pan's worth of product. If you're baking for a church supper, a bake sale, a big family gathering, or your local firehouse, it's a very handy thing to know.
Half sheet pans typically measure in at about 18 inches by 13 inches, with a height of around 1 inch. Half sheet pans are used just like full sheet pans but by those with smaller ovens or for smaller tasks, such as roasting a smaller batch of vegetables or broiling 2-3 salmon fillets.
Grease the half-sheet pan and line it with parchment.Pour in the batter, spread it into an even layer using your offset spatula, then bake as directed in the recipe.
A half-sheet cake is commonly baked in a cake pan that measures around 12 x 16 inches, accommodating approximately 12 to 18 cups of batter. The half-sheet size cake yields 24 (3″x3″) servings, or 54 (2″x2:) making it suitable for medium-sized gatherings.
1/2 Pan. A 1/2 pan is half the size of a full-size steam table pan. Two half-hotel pans occupy the same space as one full steam table pan. A 1/2 pan measures 12 inches by 10 inches and is used in the food service industry for side dishes.
Unlike other baking pans (like, say, casserole dishes), half-sheet pans are almost all the same size: roughly 18 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 1-inch high. Not only are half-sheet pans standard in size, they also fit perfectly in most home ovens with plenty of space around them to allow for air and heat circulation.
Half-sheet pans (18 x 13 inches): Handy in a home kitchen, these pans are used for sheet-pan dinners, roasting vegetables, and baking cookies and quick breads. Quarter-sheet pans (13 x 9 inches): The right size for many toaster ovens and are great for toasting breadcrumbs, nuts, and coconut in small amounts.
A full-sheet cake (18 x 24 inches, requiring approximately 16 cups of batter) serves up to 80 people. Meanwhile, 1/2 sheet cake (18 x 12 inches and using 7 to 8 cups of batter) should be enough for 36-48 guests. And the smallest option, 1/4 sheet cake (9 x 13 inches, up to 4 cups of batter), can feed 20-24 people.
I would say 3 mixes per 12x18x2, if you're not extending or doctoring them. (More flavor variations.) If you look in the pan their are two lines, one for a single layer cake or a double layer. Single layer - two cake mixes.
I make two box mixes together all the time. I bake my cakes at 325 and for my 9"x13" it usually takes about 45 minutes or so. I usually bake it for a while and then check on it. Definitely lower your temp to 325*.
We also use half-sheet pans for make-ahead breakfasts and desserts. It's a great pan for roasting vegetables, since it has plenty of surface area to spread the veg out, giving them room to brown and cook through evenly—some people even prefer it for roasting Thanksgiving turkey.
Pour the batter into the prepared half sheet cake pan, spreading it out evenly with a spatula. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
For 60 guests , a cake that yields approximately 80-90 servings is a safe bet . This allows for generous portions while accounting for seconds or unexpected guests . To achieve this , consider a three-tiered cake with a bottom layer of 14-16 inches , a middle layer of 10-12 inches , and a top layer of 8-10 inches .
Quarter sheet pans are typically 9 by 13 inches (a standard size for sheet cakes), half sheet pans are 18 by 13 inches (this is the size of most pans described simply as baking sheets) and full sheet pans are 26 by 18 inches (too big to fit in many home ovens, but the standard commercial size).
Most jelly roll pans are a bit smaller than half sheet pans, which tend to be 13” by 18” and around 1” deep. There are two common sizes of jelly roll pans: 1/4 size and 1/2 size. 1/4 size jelly roll pans measure approximately 9" by 13" and 1" deep. 1/2 size jelly roll pans tend to be around 12” by 17” and 1” deep.
No worries — we did the math for you. A half-sized sheet pan will make 58 servings and a quarter-sized pan will make 30 servings. If you suspect your guests will try to sneak slightly larger pieces of cake (no judgment here), just perform the steps above with different slice dimensions.
A half sheet pan measures 18 by 13 inches and has 1-inch walls, approximately. This size pan is so-called because restaurants and professional kitchens use full sheet pans—those are 18 by 26 inches.
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