When I make deserts in my oven, they always end up bad even though I follow the recipe. Why does this happen?!
Answers: I made some peanut butter cookies the other night and they were hollow when I took them out, they all colapsed. Tonight, I made some carrot cupcakes and they boiled over and are still bubbling. Any ideas???
Make sure that you are following the recipes exactly.
Some ingredients, like eggs, work best when they are brought to room temperature before adding them to your batter. Try taking them out of the fridge for a couple hours before you plan on using them.
Is your baking soda and baking powder and other ingredients in date? Expired baking powder and baking soda will not work as well.
Buy an oven thermometer to see if your oven is at the right temperature. You should always pre-heat the oven before using.
With cookies, make sure the baking sheets are cooled before you start another batch. Dropping cookies on a hot baking sheet will cause them to spread out. I always bake cookies on parchment paper. It saves a lot of clean up. Parchment paper is NOT the same as wax paper.
Cupcakes should only be filled 1/2 to 3/4 full to avoid rising over the paper. If frosting (I like a lot), I only fill my about halfway full. When done, cupcakes and cakes should not be boiling. You could try sticking a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean--if it does, they're done.
Where are the oven racks positioned? I have the best luck when they're centered.
Keep trying, you'll figure it out.
I think you need an oven thermometer. Your oven doesn't seem to be hot enough.
If you are using good ingredients and following the recipe then perhaps the problem is with your oven? Have you checked the calibration? Perhaps the temperature is incorrect and impacting your results.
Are you remembering to "pre-heat your oven before you start baking? That's where you set the oven for the temp. called for, and wait until the little red light goes off which indicates the oven is now at the set temp.
The next time you start to bake and go to preheat, slip a oven thermometer in the oven too and see what it says when the oven light goes off. That will tell you if the oven really is heating to the degree you want. Adjust you oven dial until the thermometer reads the temp. you want.
If your oven thermostat is working OK....then you are not cooking these things long enough, dearheart.
In the case of the cookies...start with cold dough on cool pans and cook them until the edges are firm & browned.
You are over filling your cupcake pans if they are boiling over. You should only put enough batter into the cups to fill it about 2/3 full.
If your cupcakes are still bubbling...they are not done baking yet...put them back in the oven!. Only remove cupcakes from the oven when they spring back when tapped lightly on the top. It should feel like you are touching a sponge or cushion. If they feel too soft and don't bounce back...they aren't done yet. If they feel hard or too solid... you've over cooked them.
Another test for cupcakes & muffins is to stick a clean tooth pick into the top. If it comes out clean...it's done. If it comes out with batter sticking to it, it's not done yet.
Cookies are a type of small cakes. They should only be baked in preheated ovens. So the hole and tunneling problems and solutions should apply to both cakes and cookies. Use a thermometer to check your oven temperature.
When you measure the dry ingredients is it leveled? For instance, do you run a table knife across the top of your measuring spoons so that it is not rounded? When you combine the wet and dry ingredients of cookies do you only stir enough so that they are combined? Over mixing can cause tough cookies as well as holes and tunnels.
http://www.baking911.com/cakes/problems....
For cupcakes, only fill cupcake 2/3 or 3/4 full when you spoon- in the batter. You always need to leave room for the dough to rise as it bakes. Rising indicates that your leavening technique or your leavening agent is doing it's job.
Good luck, on your next batch. You sound like a really fun person.
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