Can You Bake a Cake in a Toaster Oven? An Expert’s View
Question: Can you bake a cake in a toaster oven? Read on to find out.
[wps_toc style=”default” title=”In this Article” heading_levels=”2,3″ show_heirarchy=”yes” bullet_spacing=”yes” ordered_list=”no”]Do you have a toaster oven and are wondering whether you can use it to bake cakes, cookies, breads, or muffins? Well, anything that can be baked in a conventional oven can also be baked in a toaster over.
However, a toaster oven is small compared to the traditional oven. Therefore, there are some things you should know to ensure your baking is successful.
- Avoid baking large cakes in the oven due to the restriction in space
- The back of a toaster oven is usually hotter than the front. Therefore, you will have to turn the cake at least once to avoid hotspots.
- Ensure that the cake height is not too close to the coil
How to Bake a Cake in a Toaster Oven
[wps_alert type=”announce”]Baking in a toaster oven will take longer than in a conventional oven. Since toasters come in different sizes and power capabilities, all the directions below may not apply to your unit. You may have to adjust the instructions to fit your appliance.[/wps_alert]Find the Hot Spots of Your Toaster Oven
The first step is to heat the toaster oven to the right temperature. Follow the instructions below:
- Set the oven temperature to 350°F (176.7°C)
- Let the toaster oven preheat for about 10 minutes
- Put an oven thermometer in the rack and wait for 5 minutes to recover the lost heat
- The new temperature is the real temperature of the toaster oven
- Next, fill the oven pan with breadcrumbs or oatmeal and spread a thin layer.
- Put the pan in the toaster oven and observe the baked good
- Since the toaster has many hot spots, the baked good can brown quickly. You’ll need to turn the baked good at least once to avoid hot spots.
You need to know the toaster oven’s hot spots before you start baking. This is important to avoiding browning of the cake. If the browning is too much, adjust the thermostat and temperature accordingly.
Does the Size of a Toaster Oven Matter?
When it comes to baking in a toaster oven, size matters.
It is easy to bake small cakes in a toaster oven. However, you’ll need to use a pan that can easily fit in the oven.
Most modern toaster ovens can fit 9-inch pans. If you have a smaller toaster oven, you can get an 8-inch pan. There is also a scaled-down pan that measures 8 x 10 inches. This pan can fit nearly every toaster oven.
Check the recipe of your baked goods to ensure the pan you choose will be a proper fit. For example, if your recipe requires you to have a lot of space, preparing it in a toaster oven will be difficult.
Ideally, you should ensure the layer of your baked good is not more than 1 inch in size. If you need a big cake, you can bake three layers.
Preparing to Bake a Cake in a Toaster Oven
- First off, preheat the toaster oven to 350°F (176.7°C) for about 10 minutes
- Line the pan with parchment or grease it
- Fill 2/3 of the pan with batter
- Put the pan inside the oven and close the door immediately to prevent loss of heat
After the cake has fully set, open the oven and cover the cake with the foil. You can also rotate the cake 180 degrees to prevent it from baking unevenly.
Use a cake tester to determine whether the cake is fully baked.
So, can you bake a cake in a toaster oven?
The answer is “Yes”. If you follow the instructions above, you will be baking cakes in your toaster oven in no time.
I have a large toaster oven that will accommodate a 9 x 13 pan with ease. Can I bake a cake in it? I don’t like layer cakes. Hope that I can use my 9 x 13 pan and have it come out ok. Thoughts??