Disaster Averted - Wilton Batter Amounts.
Decorating By auntmamie Updated 16 Dec 2009 , 9:34am by SugarNSpiceDiva
Just a warning...if you use an 11x15 the Wilton guide is wrong for batter amounts. I just made the new Scratch WASC recipe, and made it for 13.5 cups, 2.5 for the sports ball pan, and 11 for the 11x15. Both pans are overflowing - and the 11x15 wasn't on anything, so I now have cake batter on the bottom of my (clean as of yesterday) stove. GRRR.
Next round - 10 cups for the 11x15.
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I think it depends on the cake recipe you use, and I assume that the Wilton measurements are for box cake mixes. I find when I use a doctored box mix, the Wilton measurements are fine.
But my scratch cakes are so different. I have to eyeball those depending on which recipe I'm using. You just have to kind of know your recipes as to how far up to fill the pan.
I used the "FINALLY a scratch WASC recipe" in the Cake decorating forum. I just took it out of the oven, except for some necessary trimming, it looks perfect - and is golden and perfectly even.
Read your post too quicky and didn't even register the "Finally a scratch" part of WASC... 
Glad it worked out for you. 
I think it depends on the cake recipe you use, and I assume that the Wilton measurements are for box cake mixes.
The Wilton charts give batter requirements in cups by pan sizes. 
(Wilton doesn't care if the batter is from scratch, mix or doctored mix.)
It's really the responsibility of the baker to determine how much batter (in cups) their recipes or box mixes or doctored mixes yield and use the appropriate amounts.
Being a member of the "precise" school of baking 
it drives me mad when members advise to "use xx number of cake mixes" for that size pan.... 
Identifying the brand of cake mix would be somewhat more helpful, as not all cake mixes have the same batter yields.. 
When it comes to my baking, "close enough" isn't even in my vocabulary. 
But my scratch cakes are so different. I have to eyeball those depending on which recipe I'm using. You just have to kind of know your recipes as to how far up to fill the pan.
Wish I could do that... I would be measuring the level of the batter to make sure it was 2/3 full (for 2" pans). 
JanH - You are 100% right. It is the bakers responsibility. I was relying on a source that I had not previously tested. Now, I am aware of the overflowing, and will know not to make that error in the future.
"A mistake made is a lesson learned"
Cake #2 is being mixed now, so at least everything else is going good!
Identifying the brand of cake mix would be somewhat more helpful, as not all cake mixes have the same batter yields..
Good point, and I'm guilty of that! From this point on, when I share what works for me, I will be including the brand of mix that I use!
Identifying the brand of cake mix would be somewhat more helpful, as not all cake mixes have the same batter yields..
Good point, and I'm guilty of that! From this point on, when I share what works for me, I will be including the brand of mix that I use!
I'm so glad you feel that's a valid point. 
(I was imagining everyone was just thinking, "OMG isn't she obsessive/compulsive"!)
Actually right now that is a wonderful thing to note. Across the board I have been seeing different sized cake mixes. They are shrinking. So when I buy I look to see the weight of the box. It started happening first in brownies and now with cake mix. Smaller batch yields. Go figure- same old price.
A bit OT, but that's been the industry norm for ice cream sizes for a while now...
Sure, the prices haven't gone up horribly, but the containers keep getting smaller and smaller.
And here she comes with a little history lesson, again!
The earliest I can recall when the practice of reducing the size instead of raising the price came into play was during the Nixon administration when there was a price freeze placed on everything in 1971. Like with anything gov't, what started out as a temporary fix, was extended over and over.
Mfgr's got around it by reducing a box of laundry detergent from (for example) 32 ounces to 28 ounces. I remember all the moms just being LIVID over this and complaining about how sneaky and underhanded it was. The company was abiding by the price freeze order ... the price did NOT go up. But the price freeze law evidently didn't say anything about what SIZE the box could be or even if the size had to stay the same.
Here's a brief article on the price freeze: http://www.econreview.com/events/wageprice1971b.htm
LIke alot of things going on today, this, too, has recycled itself from the 70's.
(And this is why I'm heading back to college next month to get my teaching degree in history!"
First of all, Ms. indydebi you are awesome! I can't STAND history! lol, but I was actually interested in your history lesson! I'm actually coming to the end of an extremely boring history class. UGH 
Can you be my history teacher? lol
Also, I don't mean to hijack the OP's thread, but I'm confused now. I don't even pay attention to anything that says how much batter to put in the pans. Ever since "the accident." lol. When I first used the bake even strips, I had a DUH moment and thought I could put the same amount of batter in the pans. A pool of batter in the bottom of my oven later, I decided not to go by those anymore. Now I just eye it. It works great, cuz most of the time, they come out just right, I don't waste a lot of cake leveling and I don't have to torte. But I've only been doing doctored box mixes. I want to start baking from scratch. So does the same rules apply for scratch baking? Can I do the same thing I've been doing?
First of all, Ms. indydebi you are awesome! I can't STAND history! lol, but I was actually interested in your history lesson! I'm actually coming to the end of an extremely boring history class. UGH
Can you be my history teacher? lol
I've always said that people don't like history because it's not taught right. history is a collection of stories filled with romance, adventure, and drama. So I'm heading toward the school systems to fix all of that! To show kids the STORY that makes history exciting!
(Now where DID I park my white horse?)
Ms. indydebi - lol. I definitely envy your future students! I believe that a good teacher makes a class better. Actually my strengths are English and Math (weird huh? lol). So when it comes to papers, I do really well. I just did a research paper for history. DH (the history buff) said it was great, but ugh it was boring. lol. I should start thinking of it your way. Maybe it will get more interesting.
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