Cake wont cook in middle! Help!?!
I'm making my son's birthday cake and I've now wasted 2 boxes of cake mix due to this issue!. What happens is it cooks fully on the outsides but stays pretty much liquid in the middle!. I've tried putting it in the oven longer but it just overcooks the outsides!. Do you think it could be the pan I have it in!? It is just a cheap pan from dollar tree!. I'm also making cupcakes and they seem to be cooking just fine!.!.!. I'm cooking it at 350 like the box says to do!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
There could be a number of issues -
1!. Your cake pans don't seem to be of very good quality!. They might not be heating evenly, thus, the edges of the cake are cooking before the middle is even getting warm!.
2!. Your oven might not be heating evently!. Do you have an oven thermometer!? Your oven is set at 350 but it could be a lot hotter or cooler depending on the calibration of your oven!.
However, since your cupcakes are cooking, I'd say it's your cake pans!. Box cake is pretty foolproof, and over/underbeating your mix won't cause it to cook unevenly, but it might cause an unnatural amount of rising or sinkage in the middle!. I'd say you need to haul your butt down to the nearest cake supply store and get some good pans!. At the very least, go to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond and get some good 8" or 9" pans!.!.!.they don't even need to be professional quality!. You'd be surprised at the difference it makes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
1!. Your cake pans don't seem to be of very good quality!. They might not be heating evenly, thus, the edges of the cake are cooking before the middle is even getting warm!.
2!. Your oven might not be heating evently!. Do you have an oven thermometer!? Your oven is set at 350 but it could be a lot hotter or cooler depending on the calibration of your oven!.
However, since your cupcakes are cooking, I'd say it's your cake pans!. Box cake is pretty foolproof, and over/underbeating your mix won't cause it to cook unevenly, but it might cause an unnatural amount of rising or sinkage in the middle!. I'd say you need to haul your butt down to the nearest cake supply store and get some good pans!. At the very least, go to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond and get some good 8" or 9" pans!.!.!.they don't even need to be professional quality!. You'd be surprised at the difference it makes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
All of the answers are pretty good!.
To summarize, I think you should do all the following:
1!. Go get a quality pan
2!. Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees
3!. Cover the top of cake with alum foil, loosely
4!. Bake longer
5!. Use a knife instead of toothpick to test center of cake!. Push knife all the way in until it hits the bottom of the pan!.
6!. Test knife with your fingers rather than only sight!. When cake is cooked, knife should feel sticky, but not moist!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
To summarize, I think you should do all the following:
1!. Go get a quality pan
2!. Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees
3!. Cover the top of cake with alum foil, loosely
4!. Bake longer
5!. Use a knife instead of toothpick to test center of cake!. Push knife all the way in until it hits the bottom of the pan!.
6!. Test knife with your fingers rather than only sight!. When cake is cooked, knife should feel sticky, but not moist!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Hopefully you have heard of the whole "stick a toothpick in the middle" test!. I suggest lowering the oven temperature and letting it cook longer!. good luck!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
trust me it will cook, it takes awhile, i have the same problem when i am bakeing cakes!. it will cook, check it with a toothpick every 10 minutes or so!.
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try putting foil over the cake so the edges wont burn and continue to bake itWww@FoodAQ@Com