Cakes (first draft of a a worst case scenario)

Could be that your baking powder is dead :( To test, put a tsp in 1/2 a cup of hot water - it should actively bubble.

It could also be that your oven temp isn't accurate and the thing didn't really completely bake. Opening the oven door too often while baking will also seriously lower the temperature (at least 25 deg every time you open it - it has to heat back up again, so the temp is never even).

The other thing about cakes is the toothpick test - baking times in recipes can be so off due to altitudes and varying oven temps and how old your flour is and all that, so usually you get a range of baking time - you start testing with a toothpick at the least amount of time. Stick the toothpick straight down into the center of the cake and pull it straight out. Once there's no goo left on the toothpick when you pull it out, the cake's ready to come out of the oven.

There's some cakes this doesn't work on - flourless chocolate, fudgy brownies - but it's good for most baking powder cakes.

So it couldbe the baking powder! But I couldn't find the expire date and they were in sealed bags. Secondly I had put the oven on (before putting the cake in) but after ten minutes I figured it was ready. Maybe not. I didn't open it while the cake was in though. Hmm. I'll try again next week. First I'll do an easy one, so I can boost my confidence again. :-)

If you don't have an oven thermometer, it's not a bad thing to get - really helps to get more consistent results, especially w/ baking but also with roasting meats. Did the cake look like it was all baked when you took it out? All puffy in the center? If so, it probably wasn't the baking powder, but more the oven temp and amount of time. For the toothpick test, if it's still gooey, put it back in for 5 minutes, test again, repeat until not gooey.

Looked alright, but once I took it out, it just fell. :-( What was weird: in the ingredient it stated 1 dl of milk but it wasn't mentioned in the description (I mean, what you had to do). I just put some in at the very end which was probably stupid?

Well, how did the batter look after you put in the milk? Was it thick and had to be spooned/scraped out of the bowl? Or did it pour easily and was really thin? Usually cake batter is in between the two. Maybe they meant you to drink the milk w/ the finished cake :( Too much liquid wouldn't make it gooey all by itself, but might if the oven temp wasn't hot enough or it didn't bake long enough.

Nath, it's a shame you're up the duff because puddeny cake is one of life's great pleasures. I'm always secretly chuffed when I take a cake out of the oven too early.

Me too! Brownies especially.

Well, I made an easy cake just to boost my confidence a bit. :-) I will probably attempt another, one with apples, tonight. :-)

Brownies. Yum. I really do need to make a batch of those.

I made banana/walnut cake. Is the banana always a bit... wet?

No - sounds like you didn't cook it for long enough. Jaq's toothpick test will keep you right next time. I do this with every cake I make (though I use a metal skewer).

Hmm, I guess I'll need to up the amount of time of baking. It wasn't really "wet wet", just a little bit. The rest was perfect though.

I decided to make a scratch cake today, with proper cake flour and baker's sugar and everything. Sift the flour 3 times! Sift the sugar! Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry! FOLD GENTLY!

The end result:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2110/2265716473_71feea32a0.jpg

The cake turned out whiter than I expected (4 eggs and 1.5 tsp of vanilla extract), with a very velvety crumb. Maybe should have floured the bottoms of the cake pans instead of just buttering, but the layers came out nearly intact regardless. I was pleased and amazed at how evenly the layers turned out. I baked them with the pans side by side on the rack, with just an inch of clearance between and about an inch to the oven wall, and didn't turn the convection on (which would have evened out the heat, but I'm still cautious of using it for baked goods).

beautiful, jaq!

yesterday i made a stepped three-tiered red velvet cake with white-chocolate under-layer and a cream-cheese frosting, marzipan roses and decorations of baby's breath, hibiscus, and yellow-ranunculus decorations for my sister's wedding. pictures forthcoming.

Remy, that sounds too beautiful to eat! Congrats to your sis and her beloved!

wow, remy.

that's a very even cake, jaq. i'm jealous. our floor slants so no matter what, everything comes out lopsided