Tiered Cake Calculator

A common approach is to decrease each tier by 5cm in diameter. For example: 30cm, 25cm, 20cm, 15cm. Each tier is typically 7-10cm tall. This gives a visually balanced, structurally sound cake.

Fill each tin to about two-thirds full. Multiply the tin's cm³ capacity by ⅔ to get the usable batter volume; at roughly 1g per cm³ that usable volume in cm³ is approximately the batter weight in grams. Note: deep tins (7.5cm / 3 inches or more) are usually filled only halfway to stop the batter spilling over — drop the fill ratio in Advanced options to 0.5 for those.

Each tier is baked separately, so treat each as an individual cake. Calculate the batter needed per tier and scale your base recipe accordingly using the volume ratios.

Each tier needs internal dowel supports (food-safe plastic or wooden dowels) to bear the weight of the tiers above. The bottom tier needs the most support. Use a cake board between each tier and consider using a central rod for very tall cakes.

Each tier should be at least 5cm (2 inches) smaller in diameter than the one below it for a proportional look. For example, a three-tier cake might use 30cm, 25cm, and 20cm tins. This size difference ensures each tier is visible and the cake looks balanced.