I had a cake order for last Saturday. I just started decorating and this is only the 2nd cake I've ever been paid for. I normally use mix for my cakes becuase it's so much simpler. The woman that ordered this cake was VERY specific, and she showed me pictures of previous cakes she ordered, and I knew she wouldn't be happy with cake mix. I found a reciepe on CakeCentral that was just called "white cake" and was rated over 4 Stars.

Friday night I began making the cake, and I've never had such a disaster baking. The cake batter was SO thick, that my stand mixer broke (I think the motor burned out). I finished the batter with my hand mixer, but even after doubling the recipe, I didn't have enough batter for all of the cakes. I was making a 10 inch and a 6 inch. I didn't want to risk breaking my hand mixer with the same recipe, so I decided to use a cake mix for the 6 inch cake.

When the 10 inch cakes were finished baking I went to take them out of the oven, and the cakes had both fallen. They were also very dark (almost burned) on the top. I thought I may be able to salvage the cakes, so I let them cool and turned them out of the pan. The bottom of the cakes were barely cooked, and the tops were burned! I knew I couldn't use these cakes for the order. I tased the cake to see how it was, and they tasted awful! They were VERY dense and not very sweet. My husband said that it reminded him of corn bread!

I ended up and re-made the 10 inch cakes from mix and they turned out fine. I stayed up until 2:30am decorating.

When I delivered the cake Saturday morning, the customer loved it, and told me later that everyone at the party thought it was delicious.

Any suggustions on what happened with the recipe? Have you ever had cake batter be SO thick that it broke the mixer?

Here is the recipe I used:

Serves/Yields: 12-24
Prep. Time: 15
Cook Time: 35
Category: White Cakes
Difficulty: Easy

3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla


Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl; add 3/4 cup buttermilk and blend until just combined. Add room temperature butter, blend slowly, then blend on medium speed for 90 seconds. Add eggs and vanilla to remaining buttermilk. Add buttermilk mixture to batter in two batches, blending on low until just combined. Pour into prepared 9x13" pan or 2 - 8" round and 1 - 6" round pans. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.

I have no idea what could have happened - just b/c I don't have that kind of knowledge - I just wanted to say I'm so sorry that you had all of that happen! But, on the bright side - your finished cake ROCKS!

I do some of my best work at 2:30AM!! seems its the only time I really have to decorate.

I've never in my 13 years of baking have heard of making a cake by adding milk to the dry ingredients. That's my tip off that the cake is doomed to fail.

Even with a sponge cake you don't see this.

Try this instead. Combine the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 6 minutes) on med speed. Then add eggs one at a time, along with the flavorings. Sift the dry ingredients together and add them in 3 parts alternating them with the buttermilk. Scrape down the bowl often while mixing and the put them into the preheated oven immediately.

I think adding the milk to the dry ingredients first messed up the balance. It may have been a typo. Try it again before you give up on it.

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago for my friend's daughter's birthday. Like yours, my 12 inch just sunk after it was out of the oven--not as bad as yours though. My 9 inch sunk just a little. It tasted good however and everyone at the party loved it. My next white cake will be Nick Maglieri's white cake (from "Perfect Cakes"--I liked the color better and the taste--that is the one I should have made.

Sheryl

Ditto Beth! Always, always, always use cake flour when making a cake. Gives it a more tender texture.

Thanks for the ideas. I did use the cake flour. Maybe I'll try it again once I buy a new mixer!!

saap1204-- where did you find the recipe for the Nick Maglieri's white cake? I'm new to all of this!

Great catch! The finished cake looks fantastic!

It's in his book "Perfect Cakes" which I am hoping to get for Christmas. The recipe was in a newspaper a few years back. If you want the recipe, PM me and I will try to find it.

HTH

Sheryl

I'm sorry that you had problems with the recipe wit great success.

Based on your description and photo there could be a couple of things wrong. If the cake was placed too high in the oven then the top will burn and the bottom will not cook properly.

Over beating can cause density problems as well as having leavening that is not fresh and active.

Carefully measure all ingredients and mix exactly as the direction state. It is a delicate cake, but it usually does quite well. Honestly, in all the times I have made this I have never had any of these problems.

HTH

Michele