The other day I made a chocolate cake, and when I pulled it out, one side was much higher then the other. It was pretty funny, when I cleaned the oven I put the rack in crooked. But to help with levelness, make sure the batter is even in the pan. Most people dump the batter in the middle then spread it out, but the middle still ends up with a little more batter. It does not take much to make the middle rise more. I spread it out good, then pick the pan up and tilt it around in a circle. This helps get the batter from the high spots to the lower spots. I then bang the pan on the counter a few times, and let it sit for a few minutes.
Michael -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of carollablady Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 6:22 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [CnD] Cakes rising higher in the middle. Well the story helps me feel a little better. I have gone to making cakes in a tube (bundt) pan because of the really puffed up middles for 9x13. They work better, but there are occasions when the tube cakes are not preferable. I will look into the strips. Would it work to set the pan inside another pan? Would it be good or bad to put water in the outer pan? Thanks. Carol On 11/18/2011 7:14 AM, [email protected] wrote: > Hi, Carol, > Often, a cake will rise higher in the middle than on the sides. If you are looking to get a perfectly flat, level cake, it may not be possible. But, one solution is, strips that you soak in water and put around the outside of a pan. They insulate the pan and allow the cake to rise more evenly. The strips can be gotten at a kitchen store, or a baking supply store. > Some cakes cook better in a tube pan; you may want to try that as well and see if that gives more satisfactory results. > Here is a cake baking story for you which may make you feel better. My family had a favorite spice cake which we made every year for my father's birthday. The cake would often come out flat, or sink a little in the middle. One year, I played with the ingredients a little, adding a little more baking soda, and an extra egg, hoping to make it rise better. The opposite happened. Both layers came out looking like some one had sat in the middle of each one. The sides rose and the middle sank. > We propped it up with a soup bowl in the middle to level it out. The cake itself tasted delicious; the texture was fine! > We abandoned that recipe after that and haven't made it since. I think it is one of those cakes that might want a tube pan. > Hope this helps. > Blessings, > Alice > _______________________________________________ > Cookinginthedark mailing list > [email protected] > http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
