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Unless I were flat broke, I'd spring for the 9" springform. I make a flourless chocolate cake all the time, and it's the 9" I use. I have both, and over the years, most recipes have called for the 9". I've hardly ever used the 8", in fact.
If you have deep pans, it will take more time to bake due to the extra thickness. The volume difference between 8 and 9 inches is actually quite a bit. The higher the batter in the pan, the more unpredictable the baking time is as the heat can't penetrate into the middle of the cake batter so easily and evenly. The danger is that even with a longer baking time you end up with a cake that is undercooked in the middle but overcooked around the edges. That's why many deep pans have a well in the center (like bundt cake pans). If it was a conventional cake I'd advise you to reduce the amount of batter.
However, in your case it's a flourless chocolate cake made with ground almonds. Those cakes are delicious when slightly underbaked and still runny in the middle. So it's worth a shot although you may want to cover the pan with foil halfway through to prevent the edges from burning.
If you have shallow pans (say, 1 1/2 inch high) there's only so much batter you can pour in and the pan is shallow enough that the heat will still be evenly distributed so you should be fine regardless of the pan's diameter, but don't overfill the pan or you'll end up with a burnt mess on the bottom of the oven.
If you have deep pans, it will take more time to bake due to the extra thickness. The volume difference between 8 and 9 inches is actually quite a bit. The higher the batter in the pan, the more unpredictable the baking time is as the heat can't penetrate into the middle of the cake batter so easily and evenly. The danger is that even with a longer baking time you end up with a cake that is undercooked in the middle but overcooked around the edges. That's why many deep pans have a well in the center (like bundt cake pans). If it was a conventional cake I'd advise you to reduce the amount of batter.
However, in your case it's a flourless chocolate cake made with ground almonds. Those cakes are delicious when slightly underbaked and still runny in the middle. So it's worth a shot although you may want to cover the pan with foil halfway through to prevent the edges from burning.
If you have shallow pans (say, 1 1/2 inch high) there's only so much batter you can pour in and the pan is shallow enough that the heat will still be evenly distributed so you should be fine regardless of the pan's diameter, but don't overfill the pan or you'll end up with a burnt mess on the bottom of the oven.
Thanks for this Tally.
I'm using a spring form pan, a friend lent me. It's deep, but I don't have to fill it too high, I could put the remainder in a small dish for myself.
It's for Christmas day and I'm not a baker so maybe I need a test run .
Unless I were flat broke, I'd spring for the 9" springform. I make a flourless chocolate cake all the time, and it's the 9" I use. I have both, and over the years, most recipes have called for the 9". I've hardly ever used the 8", in fact.
I'm not remotely broke, just hate to be wasteful and have yet another thing to store. I am NOT a baker, and am allergic to gluten, so the chance of me using it again is slim. My friend offered to lend me a pan, she thought it was 9" but when I went to get it, she discovered it was 8".
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