Can you make a cake in a toaster oven?

Baking a cake in a conventional oven seems too complicated. Is it worth it if you just need a small cake for after dinner?

Can you make a cake in a toaster oven?

Yes, you can make small cakes in a toaster oven. However, the temperature and cooking time will vary from cooking in a conventional oven. You’ll need to keep this in mind, choose the right pan, and calculate the placement of the heating elements to evenly bake a cake in the toaster oven.

In this article, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions for baking a cake in a toaster oven, as well as tips and tricks for getting the best possible result.

Can you make a cake in a toaster oven?

Toaster ovens often have a cook setting. So why not use it to bake a cake?

Baking a cake in a toaster oven is certainly possible. In addition, the pies cooked in these ovens are just as good as those cooked in traditional ovens. The only thing is that they have to be smaller.

Here are the advantages of baking in a toaster oven:

• Baking small batches - Is it worth turning on the big oven for a few cookies or a small cake? Certainly not, especially if you have a toaster oven that you can use.
• Less cleanup – Another advantage of small batch cooking is that you have less cleanup afterward.
• Quick Baking - If you’re craving a cake, it will take a lot less time to bake it in a toaster oven. But there is also a downside to the fact that the cake bakes faster. If you don’t check it every few minutes, you can skip the moment it starts to burn.
• Fast Preheat - Toaster ovens typically take half the time to preheat as regular ovens.

Although baking a cake in a toaster oven is something you can do, it may take a few tries to get it done.

Although you can follow the instructions on how to make a cake in the oven, remember that each device has its peculiarities. And unless you’ve figured them all out, you need to keep your eyes on the cake when using a toaster oven to bake it.

Baking a Cake in a Toaster Oven: What You Should Know

Baking a cake in a toaster oven is different than baking it in a regular oven, but both can yield great results. However, with a toaster oven, this is only possible if you know the ins and outs of the appliance and how to use it.

1. Find the hot spots

Baking a cake in a toaster oven can be tricky if you don’t know its hot spots. Since toaster ovens are small, the heating elements are located close to what you are baking.

Since pie crust can easily burn, you need to know where the hot spots are in your oven so you can rotate the pan for an evenly baked pie.

Also, since the heating elements are close to the pan, you can’t use parchment paper in the toaster oven; this would create a high risk of starting a fire.

2. Find the right mold

Before you buy all the ingredients and mix them up for a cake you’re going to bake in your toaster oven, make sure you have the right pan.

Toaster ovens are pretty small. It’s impossible for the pans from your conventional oven to fit in the toaster oven.

Even if the pan will fit, you still need to make sure it doesn’t touch the heating elements of the toaster.

Standard 8-inch-diameter round pans fit well in most toaster ovens and are perfect for a cake.

Always check the recipe to see if the amount of dough fits in the mold you have chosen. Keep in mind that the mold should be only 2/3 full.

3. Modify time and temperature

Although the recipe you use will most likely come with instructions on temperature and cooking time, remember that not all toaster ovens are created equal; They have different heating capacities.

The size of the oven is also important when it comes to cooking time. If this is your first time cooking a cake in a toaster oven, don’t rely entirely on the instructions.

Check the cake every few minutes to see how it’s cooking. A thermometer will help you adjust the temperature of the toaster oven.

If you don’t have a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oven, the instruction manual that came with it may be helpful.

Some manuals give instructions for baked goods, including what temperature to set the oven to.

Note : You need to be especially careful when baking chocolate cakes in a toaster oven, as they are more prone to burning. Setting the temperature 25 degrees cooler than the recipe suggests will help prevent the chocolate cake from burning.

How to bake a cake in a toaster oven

Now that we’ve got all the most important information out of the way, let’s focus on the process itself.

Here are step-by-step instructions for baking a cake in a toaster oven:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F . Letting the oven heat up for 10 minutes is a crucial step that you should never skip. A well preheated toaster oven is the first step to getting an evenly baked cake.
2. Grease the mold with butter. Do this before pouring the cake batter into the pan.
3. Fill 2/3 of the pan with the dough to allow room for it to rise . If you fill the pan with dough to the brim, it will rise and get even closer to the top or touch the oven resistors.
4. Put the pan in the preheated oven . Open the door of the toaster oven as little as possible to prevent it from losing heat.
5. Check the dough every few minutes.  As soon as you see the dough has risen, which is usually about halfway through the cooking time, open the toaster oven and rotate the pan 180º to ensure even cooking.
6. Cover the pan with a thin layer of aluminum foil. This is to prevent the top from burning as the cake cooks.
7. Check if the cake is done with a cake tester or a toothpick.  If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. The cooking time for cakes in the toaster oven depends on many factors, such as the heating power of your oven and the size of the pan.
8. Scoop out the cake and allow it to cool before removing it from the pan. 

Your mini pie should be fully cooked and ready to eat in no time. Now that you know what the process looks like, we’ll share our top tips for getting this all done right.

3 Tips for Baking a Cake in a Toaster Oven

There are a few tips that will help you perfect your toaster oven cakes and never go back to baking cakes in a regular oven unless you need a big one.

1. Finding the hot spots using oatmeal

Knowing the points of your toaster oven heating coils is one of the secrets to getting an evenly baked cake. If you’re having trouble finding them, here’s what you can do.

Spread a thin layer of raw oatmeal on a sheet pan that will fit in your toaster oven. Put the pan with the oats in the preheated toaster oven and leave it there for a few minutes to toast.

When you take the pan out, you’ll easily spot the areas that were closest to the heating coils by color. They will be much more toasty and even burnt if you have left the oats in the oven for too long.

2. Use parchment paper well

As we’ve mentioned, you have to be careful with parchment paper when baking in a toaster oven.

But parchment paper is the best way to keep the cake from sticking to the pan. Also, for some people it is a way to avoid using butter. So what should you do?

The solution is simple. Take a sheet of parchment paper and fold it in half twice. Then fold the square to make a triangle. Hold the triangle over the top of the round pan, making sure its midpoint is above the center of the pan.

Cut the paper where it exceeds the edge of the mold. Unfold the paper and you have a sheet of parchment paper that fits perfectly on your pan. The edges will not stick out or burn in the toaster oven.

Lining square or rectangular pans with parchment paper using the same technique is much easier.

Always follow the rule: no piece of parchment paper should hang over the edges of the pan. 

3. Make a multi-layered cake

A toaster oven is not suitable for baking large cakes. But you can bake several and make a beautifully crafted cake with delicious frosting between the layers.

Baking a few layers in a toaster oven for a multi-layer cake will take time. However, your cake will look elegant and feed more people.

If you’ve made a large batch of dough for multiple pie layers, transfer the unused dough to the fridge while you wait for the layer to cook in the oven.

This will prevent the dough from losing its leavening power, as the baking powder in it will remain potent for longer if you keep it refrigerated.