
Toaster ovens aren't just meant to heat and make toasts; they can do a lot more, including baking cakes. In fact, a toaster oven can bake virtually anything that a conventional oven can.
However, you'll have to make a few adjustments if you plan on using your toaster oven for baking cakes and cookies.
You don't have to look any further; this article is the most comprehensive guide on using your toaster oven for baking cake.
Baking Cake In A Toaster Oven: Basic Ideas
Baking a cake in a toaster oven won’t be the same as in a conventional oven. We have listed some of the important things you need to know before you start baking your cake.
Get The Perfect Baking Pan Size:

You can’t fit a regular oven’s baking pan into a toaster oven; toaster ovens are small. That's why you must ensure that you have the perfect size baking pan before you start making your cake.
In most cases, a toaster oven can fit a 9-by-13-inch pan. However, if your toaster oven is on the smaller side, an 8-inch pan will do. You can even purchase scaled downed versions that come in 8x10 inch sizes that’ll fit virtually any toaster oven. The pan only needs to be 2/3 full.
Always check your cake’s recipe to ensure that you have the right pan size. For instance, if the recipe is large, it might not fit your toaster oven. Toaster ovens can bake small cakes. Choose the cake recipe that you can easily cook in your toaster oven.
Find The Hotspot Of Your Toaster Oven:
If you don't know your oven's hotspot, your cake can be unevenly cooked. Toaster ovens feature relatively smaller interior than the conventional oven, and as a result, the heating elements are positioned close to whatever you'll be baking.
For efficient baking, you need to make sure that you know the hotspot. Here's a simple technique to find your toaster oven's hotspot:
- Firstly, purchase some affordable white bread. After that, place your oven racks where they’re usually positioned for baking.
- Next, preheat your oven and give it ample time to reach 350°F. After that, position the slices of bread all over the racks.
- Start baking the pieces of bread until their middle turns a shade of light golden brown. This will take anywhere from 15-20 minutes.
- Finally, check each bread’s level of brownness based on where the bread and rack were positioned in the oven.

Evaluate the Result:
You may notice that, there‘re a few bread pieces that get darker than the rest. Check those spots where these breads were baked. Basically, these slices were closest to the center of your oven. These are the areas where the oven gets heated most and are known as oven hotspots.
How To Deal With Oven Hotspots?
Unfortunately, over time your toaster oven will develop hotspots. After you’ve figured out your oven’s hotspot, you need to know how to deal with it. For this, you need to do a few things.
- If you notice that your toaster oven gets most heated in some areas, avoid placing your cake in those spots. Additionally, make sure that you rotate your cake to ensure even baking.
- Further, whenever you are baking, always check on your cake early and often. These steps should ensure that your cake is efficiently and evenly baked.
- You can use parchment paper to neutralize the oven hot spots. This is the most effective ways to deal with hotspots. However, you need to be very careful when using parchment paper in your toaster oven.
How To Prevent Cakes From Sticking To The Pan?
If your cake sticks to the pan, it could be a disaster. However, with a little bit of preparation, you can easily prevent this. We’ll show you two different ways that will prevent cakes from sticking to the pan.

Image credit: gymbeam.com
Method 1:
Things you’ll need:
The Process:
Step 1: Firstly, you need to line the pan with parchment paper. Why? Because this will prevent the cake’s bottom from sticking to the pan.
Step 2: Spray your pan's entire inside with the baking spray.
Step 3: Place the parchment paper at the bottom and then spray it, and that's it!
Method 2:
Things you’ll need:
The Process:
Step 1: : Coat your pan’s entire inside with butter.
Step 2: Make sure that the bottom is lined with parchment paper.
Step 3: Next, use the butter to grease the paper.
Step 4: After that, sprinkle some flour into your greased pan.
N.B: Whether you're going to use a non-stick baking spray or flour/butter, this process is vital as it ensures that your cake comes out in one piece.
How To Bake Cake In A Toaster Oven: (Step By Step)

After you’re done with the preparation, all you need to do is bake the cake. For this, you just need to gather the ingredients and follow some steps. Here’s how you can do this:
Ingredients:
- One egg
- Butter
- Cake mix (some cake mix even come with their own pan)
- A plastic bowl
- Electric mixer or spoon
- Spatula
Steps To Follow:
Step 1: The first thing you should do is to preheat your oven to 350 °F. Never skip this step. This process can take up to 10 minutes, but it also depends on your toaster oven. Preheating ensures that your cake is evenly baked.
Step 2: After you’ve mixed it entirely, pour the mixture into your pan or the one that’s provided with the cake mix (if applicable).
Step 3: You need to bake the cake for at least 30 minutes. However, make sure that you keep a close eye on it and check in every now and then.
Step 4: While your cake is baking, you can make the frosting. For this, put 4 tsp of butter into the plastic bowl. After that, pour 1 tsp of water onto the butter.
Step 5: Next, put the frosting mix into the plastic bowl. After that, you need to start the mixing. For this, it's recommended that you use an electric mixer, but you can also use a spoon or spatula. If your frosting is a little stiff, you can heat it in the oven for about 5 seconds to soften it.
Step 6: Keep on mixing the frosting mixture until a fine paste is formed. If it’s been 30 minutes, you need to take the cake out of the toaster oven now. After you take it out, let the cake cool down for about 5-15 minutes.
Step 7: If the cake has cooled down, use a spatula to apply the frosting on top of your cake. That’s it! You’re ready to serve.
This is a simple and easy method of baking a cake in a toaster oven. However, your step may differ slightly according to your cake mix. Make sure you read the instruction manual carefully. You can also try the following recipe from the video:
Benefits Of Baking In A Toaster oven:
After you’ve baked your cake in a toaster oven, you’ll see that it tastes just as good or even better as the one’s made in a regular oven. The only downside is the small size. Other than that, baking a cake in a toaster oven comes with various benefits. Here’s some of them:
1. A Quick & Efficient Cooking Process:
A toaster oven is small, but that isn't always a disadvantage. If you're planning on making a small cake or small batches of cookies, there's no need to take out your conventional oven. Your toaster oven will be perfect for the job. Moreover, they won’t take up too much space in your kitchen.
2. Low Cost Of Energy:
This goes hand in hand with the above benefit. Due to their small size, they use only about 1200-1800 watts of power. Additionally, they preheat much faster than a conventional oven. Since they use a lot less energy, you’ll be saving a lot of bucks on your electricity bills.
3. Easy To Clean And Maintain:
Since you'll be making a small cake, you won't have to bother with long cleaning sessions. That's not all; many toaster ovens come with non-stick interiors and pull-out trays, making the process easier and quicker.
4. Get your meal ready in no time:
A toaster oven also takes less time to bake a cake. If you're craving a cake and want one right away, a toaster oven is your best solution. Especially if you live by yourself or with a single roommate and routinely crave cakes, you’ll find toaster ovens to be your best friend.
Can You Bake Cake In A Toaster Oven? Final Words:
A toaster oven is certainly a truly versatile kitchen appliance. Baking a cake in a toaster oven is easy, fast, and efficient. Additionally, it's also affordable and energy-efficient; so, there's very little reason for you not to use a toaster oven for baking yourself a cake.
All you need is a little bit of preparation and practice, and you'll soon be baking various kinds of delicious cakes. Before you start baking, make sure that you're well-versed with the points mentioned in this article. Happy Baking!
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