What Temperature Should a Fan Be On for Baking Cakes? Optimal Settings for Perfect Results

When you bake cakes in a fan oven, you’ve got to lower the temperature compared to a standard oven. The usual trick is to drop it by about 20°C (around 35-50°F) when the fan’s running.

This helps stop your cake from baking too fast and drying out.

With the fan on, hot air moves around faster and more evenly inside the oven. If you forget to lower the heat, you might end up with a cake that’s burnt on the outside but raw in the middle.

If you get used to the fan setting, it really changes how your cakes turn out. Figuring out the right temperature adjustment lets you bake with a bit more confidence, and it’s honestly a relief to avoid the usual baking disasters.

For more tips, check out advice on how fan ovens affect temperature.

Ideal Fan Temperature for Baking Cakes

When you use a fan oven for cakes, you need to adjust the temperature or you’ll risk overcooking or drying things out. Knowing the right temperature gives you a better texture and more even results.

Fan ovens need less heat than regular ovens because the fan pushes hot air around quickly and evenly.

Recommended Oven Temperatures

For baking cakes in a fan oven, lower the temperature by about 20°C (or roughly 50°F) from what the recipe says for a conventional oven. If your recipe says 180°C (350°F), set your fan oven to 160°C (320°F).

This way, you avoid the classic problem of the edges cooking too fast while the middle stays raw. Most bakers suggest baking cakes at around 160°C (320°F) in fan ovens, which usually gives you a soft crumb and a well-cooked center.

Don’t bake at too low a temperature, though, or your cake could turn out dense or even collapse in the middle. Keeping the oven steady during baking is honestly more important than people think.

Convection vs Conventional Oven Settings

Fan ovens—also called convection ovens—use a fan to move hot air around the food. That means your cake heats up faster and more evenly than in ovens without a fan.

Since the air’s moving, cakes cook quicker. If you use the same temperature as a regular oven, the cake can easily overbake or dry out. That’s why you need to turn the heat down with fan ovens.

If your oven lets you pick between fan and conventional modes, go for the fan or convection mode and lower the temperature as suggested. If you’re using conventional mode, stick with the usual recipe temps.

Impact of Temperature on Cake Texture

Temperature really changes a cake’s crumb, moisture, and rise. Too high, and the outside sets and browns before the inside’s done—so you get dry edges and a soggy middle.

Too low, and the cake might not rise much and could end up dense or heavy. Sometimes it even sinks after baking, which is just disappointing.

If you use a fan oven at 160°C (320°F), you’ll usually get a cake that rises evenly and stays soft and moist. The fan helps heat reach the whole cake, so you don’t get dark crusts or weird wet spots.

For more details on baking with fan ovens, see Baking a Cake in Normal Ovens & Fan Ovens.

Adjusting Fan Settings for Different Cake Types

Different cakes need their own tweaks when you’re using a fan oven. You have to lower the temperature to avoid drying out or burning, but the fan’s airflow affects each type of cake a bit differently.

Sponge Cakes

Sponge cakes rely on air in the batter for their light texture. If you’re using a fan oven, drop the temperature by about 20°C (around 50°F) from what the recipe says.

This keeps the edges from cooking too fast before the center’s done. Don’t crank the fan up high—it can dry out the sponge.

If your oven allows, use a moderate fan setting or even turn it off. You want even heat, not a hurricane in there.

Baking times might be a few minutes shorter, so keep an eye on things.

Butter Cakes

Butter cakes have more fat and sugar, so they’re denser than sponge cakes. The fan helps them cook evenly, but you still need to lower the temperature by 15-20°C to keep the outside from getting too dark while the inside finishes.

Since butter cakes are thicker, use a gentle or medium fan—not a strong one. Too much hot air can make the crust harden before the middle sets.

The fan helps avoid soggy bottoms, but be careful not to dry out the crumb. Start checking your cake a little early to avoid overbaking.

Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate cakes really need moist heat if you want that soft, rich texture everyone loves.

If you’re using a fan oven, drop the temperature by about 15-20°C—just like you would for other cakes. The batter’s humidity matters a lot, though.

A medium or low fan setting is your friend. That way, the cake cooks through without drying out the chocolate.

Crank the fan too high, and you’ll end up with a tough surface and maybe some cracks. Nobody wants that.

Try covering the cake loosely with foil about halfway through baking. It’ll shield the top but still let things cook evenly.

If you’re curious about the nitty-gritty of fan oven baking, check out Baking a Cake in Normal Ovens & Fan Ovens.