I've read a lot of posts that have said to NOT open the oven door during cooking time. How do you know your cakes are done without opening the door? With 8" rounds, I know how long it usually takes and take them out after 30 mns and never have a problem. But what do I do for odd shaped cakes, like ovals, half-balls, other cakes where the time is not specified in the recipe?
TIA!

Becca

Well I always end up opening the door 2 or 3 times! Lol I stick a toothpick in and check if it comes out clean, the cakes always come out ok in the end, I don't think opening the door really hurts too much! The best sign for cakes being fully cooked without opening the door I found is the sides of the cake have come away from the side of the pan, you need a window in your oven for this check though!

ditto, ditto, ditto!!!

I always open the door and thankfully nothing has ever happened!

Meh . . .I open the door, take the cake out, stick a toothpick in and if it's not done, open the door again and put it back in. Cake is just not that sensitive. At least mine aren't.

Now, souffle is a different story.

I also read somewhere that sticking a toothpick in the cake will allow moisture in your cake to escape,I dont know how true that is, but ever since i read that I freaked out. So what I do is,

1) Touch the top lightly. If it springs back, the cake is done.
2) Check to see if the cake will shrink from the sides of the pan.

I thought opening the door made more of a difference if it's a scratch cake... But I could be wrong.

I can usually guess how long it'll take to get done, but I usually tap the top of the cake lightly and see if it springs back well. I use a long wire cake tester for dome or ball shaped cakes, anything that's deeper than a couple inches!

I only bake from scratch.

Seriously, you guys are making this way harder than it really is.

Thanks for the responses. I did end up using a toothpick several times. I put too many pans in the oven at once and it took twice as long to bake as I thought, but the cakes were fine.

Becca

Believe it or not, my oven doesn't even have a window in it! When we bought this house (new), I just assumed it had a window. It LOOKS like it has a window, but it doesn't.

So I have to open my oven door more than most. And it does cause the temperature to drop and then heat back up. So I try to have the door open for as little time as possible as infrequently as possible.

But if I had a recipe that sensitive, I would have to just put it aside. I don't generally bake anything, cakes or otherwise, that is that sensitive.