Baking troubles - tunnels and big holes in my cakes. What to do?
I have no idea what is going on. I am using same recipes (WASC), same ingredients but for a month or two, I keep getting those terrible holes and tunnels in my cakes. I don't think I overmix or undermix batter because I all I did worked before.
I tried to do S with knife in the middle of pan, or drop the cake pan a couple of inches onto the counter. Still, I keep getting air bubbles.
What can I do?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by June Kowalczyk on
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Well Sonia
I use rose nails in my pans. One for a six inch, 2 for the 10"... adding a extra for each larger size. You might also want to get a oven thermometer and check the actual temp in your stove. Every once in awhile your oven needs to be recalibrated. It could be cooking too hot.
Hope this helps. :0)
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Permalink Reply by Sandra I. Vazquez Lossiseroni on
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Do you think, June, that she might have this problem because she is baking the WASC with the new boxes of less amount? Just saying..
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No Sandra
I don't think so. If it is a cake mix, it's pretty hard to screw that up, unless, of course, it was doctored. If so, could be too much extra baking powder/soda added. Cake could also be over mixed, that will incorporate more air, creating "holes".
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Is it WASC considered a doctored cake mix?
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Permalink Reply by Eileen S on
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Yes, WASC is a doctored cake mix. It starts with a mix and you add extra flour, sugar, sour cream, etc. There are some scratch versions of WASC as well, but most start with mix. I have had issues with big holes lately with WASC, so I'm wondering if there IS some kind of change in the mixes. I always use Duncan Hines, but may give a different mix a try and see if that makes a difference.
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Exactly... June, here we have Majka and Eileen baking with WASC and getting those big holes...
Soooo, I did one last night (WASC with Duncan Hines) and whether you know...OMG, holes...lol
What do you say? You have to fix this one, June...
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Ok ladies
Do you add extra baking pwdr/soda to your doctored mix????? If so, that is most likely the culprit. There is enough in the cake mix alone that if a cup or two of flour is added it does not become necessary to add more.
I have doctored SOooo many cake mixes, and I can honestly say this has never happened to me.
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Nooooo, the WASC does not ask for any of those ingredients, so I did not.
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Permalink Reply by Anne M on
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June, I have had this problem too lately. I use DH, I add 4 eggs and one packet pudding mix and now I am really really frustrated. I have two cakes at home one with a dip in the centre and the other when I took it off to cool cracked at the bottom of the cake. Both are in the freezer, hope to salvage them.
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Oh, Oh, another one baker with the same problem...using the same DH...
We need the intervention of June the scientist...
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Well ladies
Maybe it IS the Duncan Hines. I confess, I buy whatever is on sale. No Name store brands, whatever. I usually use Monarch, which has now become Lorretta brand I believe, from my Dollarama store. I always ck the best before date before I buy. Anne: See below a answer to a post I made yesterday regarding "sagging" cakes.
Sometimes Carlette if cakes are large they can sag. Baking is a science, and everytime we bake, depending on our oven, even the way we prepare, can change the outcome. I have had large cakes sag in the past, but when they did, like you, added a bit of extra buttercream.... no one is the wiser. Still tastes good and no one is judging the "naked cake". Now the science behind the "Why"? Sometimes it is the wrong flour. Good old fashioned all purpose flour is the best. Cake flour can be too soft. Also too much leavening agent...baking powder. The larger the cake, the less baking powder per cup you need. This is because the distance from the sides of the pan to the centre are greater so that the batter needs a stronger structure to support itself. I am quoting Rose Levy Beranbaum. I have her book..."The Cake Bible". You can also go on her website. Huge wealth of info on baking.
But I do a couple of things where by this doesn't happen so often. Sometimes I doctor cake mixes. So, your baking powder is already in right? Can't change that. So, I use rose nails in my cake pan to help distribute the heat evenly when baking. I place my cake on a pizza stone, which also helps distribute heat. The bigger the cake pan, the more rose nails I use. The cake you baked I would have used minimum of 4 rose nails in my cake pan. Another thing I do, and this will make most bakers shudder. As soon as I take the cake out of the oven, I place a heavy clean hand towel over the cake, & with my oven mitts still on, I press down on the cake with even pressure all around the cake. It flattens out and condenses quite a bit. I tend to overfill my cake pan because I do this. Easier to cut away cake after the fact anyway then to doctor up with buttercream. This sounds scary, but where is the cake going to go????....... no where, cause it is held in place by the sides of the metal pan. And, crazy as it sounds, it works!! I find almost 99.9 % of my cakes never sink after that. A very old, wise, and I am sure deseased, cake decorator taught me this years ago when my children were very young. She owned her own shop in town & I took my first lessons from her. Heck, fondant didn't even exsist then.
Hope this helps. :o)
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