I can never remember how long to bake each of my layers without looking it up so I'm thinking of writing in sharpie on the backs of pans temps and times that work well for my oven.. has anyone done this and regretted it?? I don't want to ruin my pans.. but it would be easier to have all the info I need (how many cups per pan too) right there on the actual pan... any thoughts??

Wendy

I have done this using an Avery Marks-a-lot permanent marker (wide tip, easy to read). I've written batter amounts on some pans and diameter of rounds.

I have seen it done before.

However I use an excel spreadsheet and fill out my pan size/shape, the amount of batter in cups and the approximate bake time, and if recipes take longer or shorter then I have another column for them.

I print this off and have it laminated and handy in my cuboard. I pull it out and put it on the counter everytime I bake. I also have my all of my recipes listed on here that I use often for cakes and have listed how many cups each recipe makes, so it is easy reference.

Then on the bottom I have a list of my cookie recipes and have how many cookies it will make of the 2,3, and 4 inch sizes. Very quick and easy to look at and figure out how many batches I need to make.

If it works for you why not?
I **never!!** measure batter in cups. What an awful mess Instead learn how much batter vs your recipe goes in each pan. As an example each of the following pans takes only one cake mix:
8" sq; 10" round; 12"x8" sheet; most any Wilton shaped charchater (Oh fiddle, I never have learned how to spell that word!) pan.
1 1/2 mixes for: 10" sq; 12" round; 12x16 sheet.
So you get the idea. This can be marked on the bottom or side of your pan too if you want.