I guess this is the rght spot... I just baked 2 9 inch square cakes.. I used my usual butter cake recipe that I have down pat in my 9 inch round pans.. These square pand are my new magic line pans and I think I read that you need to bake longer than usual. well my toothpick came out clean, but the cake either "fell" or just bakes unevenly it was REALLY sunk in the middle. so much so that when I torted it and was towrad the middle it took off only the top of the cake.

I have been searching square cakes so I can get any tips, but I thought I would ask as well. I really need practice becasue I want to make a square cake for my grandmas birthday party.. a stacked square cake

TIA
Samele

I use a heat core in all my Magic Line pans. I hadn't thought about it maybe being a function of the pan - it just came about through experimentation. I've just found that they bake better with one. I also like to fill my pans with enough batter so they puff up over the top of the pan. All the more reason to need a heat core. I like to trim them even with the pan prior to turning them onto the cooling rack, ensuring a nice, even cake. Anyway...back to the uneven baking issue....

I emptied a tin can, cut the bottom out of it, and then I grease and flour it and push it down into the center of the pan after I've poured and smoothed the batter. I do this even on my 7 X 12 pan, which, theoretically shouldn't need a heat core. But, I find it just bakes better. This works better for me than the flower nail method. I think it provides more heat to the center of the cake.

I haven't notice having to bake longer in my magic line pans. However I have found out that i shouldn't use baking strips with the magic line pans, at least I don't prefer to, the sides don't get a nice edge, they are way to soft, like the middle of the cake, and I have a very hard time icing them.

But I also collor my magic line pans. They work great, but with the collar then they rise above the pan and I can cut off the excess and sample for quality control purposes.

I have also found that for me baking at 325 in the magic line pans seems to work better.

Not quite sure what the problem is, I have a simliar problem with my small oval pans (but the same recipe as I use in all my other pans with no problems)

Hope you figure it out, if you do let us know what it was.

leily

thats funny becasue I baked 3 cakes in the pans. I baked my butter cake recipe and got the results I explained. Then I baked the chocolate cake recipe on the back of the hershey can. Both times I used bake even strips and my cake was short and mushy kinda like it didn't rise. I thought the butter cake was ok, but I remade the chocolate one without strips and got rants about how light and moist it was.. I guess I will try again for my butter cake without the strips.

Crimsicle,
I know this doesn't really pertain to the original question here but I just wanted to say thanks for the heating core idea (tin can). I had went to my local Hallmark store because where I live that is the only place to really get anything for baking besides Wal-Mart and they had heating cores from Wilton (I think) and they were almost $5.00. I didn't buy one because I thought that was a little ridiculous for that little thing. So thanks from this newbie

I am attempting to attach my cakes here. LOL my next try will be without the strips.. Also re: the tin can.. is that as in soda pop can or as in soup can?

As for a heating core, I've read in the forum around here somewhere (can't remember where it is) that instead of buying a heating core, use the flower nail, up-side down, in the middle of the cake pan. I've tried it and worked great. saved me a few bucks...

your cake looks great. even though you had troubles at first... sorry...

have a nice day
Lorris

Regarding using a can...I'm also curious about which type (soup or pop) and if there's any health hazzards...i.e. pop cans made of aluminum which I've heard is linked to Alzheimers??? I wonder what type of coatings there are on the inside of any can? I needed to bake in something similar, couldn't think of what else to use without any health risks, so I skipped it. If anyone has the answers, please let me know. Thanks

now that i think about it.. I'm figuring it is a soup can. I had to picture "cutting" the bottom off a soda can.. not fun

lilthorner,

It may be the butter cake....did you use a mix or scratch? I have no trouble with any other mix, but the time I made a butter cake....in a square pan also, I had it sink in the middle as well. Baked 2 of them and both did the same thing. Never had a problem with the other flavor of mixes. The mix I always use is dh.

hey southernbelle, both cakes were scratch. both the butter and the chocolate came out flat at first, but i thought the butter one was ok. I rebaked the chocolate without the strips and it came out WAY better. Since I thought the butter one was ok (meaning not seemign as flat as the chocolate one) i didn't rebake it

It may just be the strips. I had the same problems when I first started using Magic Line pans. I used the strips just because that's what I'd always done...but then one day I forgot to put them on and VOILA! Perfect cake! I always collar my pans too with parchment. HTH!

I wouldnt mind not having to use the strips LOL. If I fill my pan that much I'm guessing I would almost need to double the recipe?

When collaring your pans, do you go from the bottom of the pan up? I have used the bake strips also but my edges are way too soft. I hadn't thought of the can idea but it sounds good. Aren't canned goods "cooked" in the can after packing anyways? I would think that they would be food safe. Just a thought.

When I collar, I just cut the parchment to the same depth as the pan, plus about another 1 inch...so about 4 inches tall for a 3 inch deep pan, and about 1 1/4 inches more than the circumference of the pan. You want the parchment to overlap on the ends so you don't have any batter seeping thru between the parchment collar and the pan....I put a dab of shortneing on each end of the parchment where they will be overlapping, to secure. I cut up a lot of these and store them in a gallon ziploc bag so I don't have to do it every time I bake a cake. BIG timesaver!

Thank you so much!

ok, i tried the can.. the cake looks, smells and tastes good.. lOl BUT the plug pulled away from the can, just liek it would form the pan... here is a pic.. did I do somethign wrong, or am I just supposed to fill that in with frosting? I just want to practice roses so no biggie.. (of course I had to bake a whole cake) but I think next time I will try a nail (I only had one)

I also wanted to add, when collaring pans I assume you want more cake, or a thicker layer, so would i scale the recipe?

What are magic line pans? Is that a brand?

yes it is a brand. i have heard really good things about them. they are a little more pricy than wilton pans. I got mune because I needed square pans and both michaels by me were out.. :0)

bumpity bump

lilthorner:
Did you grease/flour your can first? Did the can have ridges or was it flat/smooth?

i pancoated the can first.. and now that i think about it, the can did have ridges, the cake pulled a great deal away from the can. will it not pull away from a smooth can? it pulls away from the sides of the pan too

What I have notices is that square pans require more than their round counter parts. IE: 10 round takes 1 BC mix but 10 square takes 1 1/2
or 1 BC mix makes three 6in rounds but only 2 6inch squares.

Also on the 10inch pans i use a flower nail in the middle. I uses Bakers Joy spray but wilton also makes a flour/butter spray. I spray the pan, put the nail in upsided down and spray the nail. Then pour batter.

You can make your own bake even strips by cutting bath towels into strips, wetting and ringing out then wrapping in foil and wrapping around the cake and securing with a pin.

Hope this helps.

Hi Ya'll,

I think it is the weather here the central valley, CA. My cakes are falling today too.

Good luck

Charli

i was starting to think that I needed to make more batter..

that is totaly uncharted territory for me.. BUT I gotta get it together cause I gotta make a 10 inch square and 8 or 6 inch square (stacked) for 5/21..

I use magic line and just love them. Best pans I have ever used!