sunday is "experiment on my family" cake day.
today i made a dble chocolate cake from scratch that was cc recommended. recipe called for 2" 10 cake pans, i used 8" with magic strips on them.

in the first pan, i used half the batter.
in the second pan, i used the remaining half and added 1 cup andes mint bits that had been dusted in flour to keep them from sinking.

cake 1 had this warty thing going on in the middle.
cake 2 (with the andes bits) had the warty thing PLUS some sort of "freaky cake trying to flee the pan like a wave" thing going on

what caused these two unattractive things?

did i overfill?
should i have used a nail?
or do i just stink at scratch recipes?

thanks!
diane

I have no idea what happened to your cakes, but I loved your innovative descriptions!!

Hope someone else can help you out
Gail

Too much batter in the pans. The recipe called for 2 - 10" pans and you said you used 8". I think that was the problem.

The one on the left looks OK, but the one on the right is overflowing the pan.

How do they taste?

luckily they taste a whole lot better than they look, lol.
i'll torte them and happily eat the ugly scraps

if i use a nail AND overfill would a nail alleviate the warty center? or is the ugly bugly center because the cake is rising and has nowhere to go but implode on itself in the middle (until it overflows)?

thank you for your help! one of these days, i WILL be a good scratch baker...
diane

drakegore you make me laugh with your descriptions.

I make that cake all the time (if you're referring to the Double Chocolate Layer cake). In fact.. I made it today! Yum!!

I always get the 'warts' as you called them in the top.. but they're not noticeable once everything is torted and iced. I've never had it explode like yours did on the right so i'm thinking you may have overfilled the batter. I find they rise pretty well.

Was it delicious at least? I LOVE that cake!

I think that you overfilled the pans. You just squeaked by with the first pan, but the extra cup of goodies mixed into the first one was the "kiss of death", since it brought the volume above the critical point.

I don't think that adding a flower nail will do anything to prevent problems with overflow, if the batter is just too much for the pan.

I would have to agree with the others. I think the cake batter on the right just had nowhere to go but overboard!

My scratch chocolate cake always looks like your "warty" cake on the left. Nothing I have done (nail, etc.) has ever made a difference. I decided that it's really no big deal. Just take the uneven part off of the top, and you are good to go.

My other scratch cakes don't look bumpy when they are done--must be something about the chocolate. Anyway, I don't let it bother me anymore, because it tastes just fine, and nobody knows you had a "warty" cake once it is iced!

My mind must be in the gutter today because I saw the pictures of your cakes and immediately started cracking up, thinking of what these cakes look like (I won't go there). Thank goodness cakes that come out ugly get leveled and iced and no one ever knows what they looked like before we make them gorgeous.

I use that recipe also. I bake at 300 and try not to overfill my pans.

ok I'm very inexperienced, please tell me what you do with the flower nail to help when baking cakes? this is something I haven't heard before.

Very definitely overfilled Especially adding the additional ingredient that is almost pure sugar caused an imbalance in that mixture
There usually is a reason for specifying a certain size/shape pan - pay attention in the future

chocolate warts, yum, lol.
thank goodness for frosting!

i was paying attention; i just ignored it
10" is just to big so i fill my 8" and either make cupcakes or toss the left over batter. the problem is that i really, really suck at estimating where i should stop filling my 8" pans.

i would love to know from a scientific point of view what causes the bumpy middles (i think the tsumami cake is clearly overflowing caused by crappy baker - the strange crater shape is what threw me...my usual overfilling problems normally look domed and spilling).

thank you for the laugh stacy!

If you're talking about the Double Choc. Layer cake, I usually 1/2 the recipe for 2-8" pans. Definitely overfilled them.

I also get those funny centers but I think it's mostly from uneven baking. Try the lower temperature as PP suggested. It will probably improve it.

Ok, first to PTBUGZY1, you put a flower nail upside down in the middle of the pan, and then pour the batter. It helps to bake the cake iqually in the middle and the sides. You also use the magic strips.

Now, to the overflow problem, what you can do is put a strip of parchment paper on the sides of the pan. But it needs to be TALLER than the side of you pan. Grease it , and pour the batter. As the cake bakes, the paper will help to "hold" the cake. It can grow as much you like. I use this method all the time, because I don't have 3" pans.

HTH

hello!
yes, it is the dble chocolate layer cake. this was the best cake; i just loved it. i will be baking again without doubt so i will lower the temp and use less. thank you for the tip about halving it for 8" - it did make a terrible amount of batter and it felt kinda criminal letting it go to waste.
diane

(and i sooooo relieved to hear you all had the bumps too, lol).

Drakegore said:
cake 1 had this warty thing going on in the middle.
cake 2 (with the andes bits) had the warty thing PLUS some sort of "freaky cake trying to flee the pan like a wave" thing going on

what caused these two unattractive things?


Anybody tell you that you have a great way with words? LOL
Thanks for the chuckle
Stacey South said:
My mind must be in the gutter today because I saw the pictures of your cakes and immediately started cracking up, thinking of what these cakes look like (I won't go there).

oh-oh..... I think my mind is with yours, Stacey LOL

Cake WARTS!....LOL
Although in #1 I see a daisy with a brain centre and #2 it looks like a skull...LMAO

sorry just had to...
It was a long morning at work today.hehe

Man, oh man!

I have some questions for you!!!

I have gotten the warty thing too! I thought that this was because I bake at a higher altitude (colorado) but reading this, I have come up with some questions!!!

When I firsted started with cakes out here after moving from california, I was using bake even strips and my cakes looked sooo bad! (warts plus major sinking in the middle). I have sense moved (so I have a way better oven) and have stopped using the strips and I don't have that problem anymore. So my thinking is maybe the strips are causing that!

I think it does that because the temp is too high. The top of your cake bakes faster then the inside so when the inside does start to bake, it gets solid along the edges first and it pushes the already baked top into the center, causing warts.

Also the wave might be caused by your oven as well. If one side of your oven is hotter the the other, one side is cooking faster then the other which causes the wave. When you make cookies, do you find the one side bakes faster then the other?

Also, did you put both cakes in at the same time? Was the part that has the wave facing the other cake or the wall of the oven? Was there enough room between the pans so the air can move around?

If you want to try the recipe again, I would say ditch the strips and lower the temp...

Looked for the Double Chocolate Layer cake recipe under Chocolate Cakes and Cake Mix Cakes.....no luck. Anyone know where the recipe is hiding??

hi!
i cannot find the link to it, but i have the actual recipe in my files (i cannot remember where it originally came from, but i know it was not on CC):

DBLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
For cake layers
  3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  3 cups sugar
  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  3 large eggs
  3/4 cup vegetable oil
  1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
  3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting
  1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  1 cup heavy cream
  2 tablespoons sugar
  2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment
  two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Preparation
Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

diane

i meant to add before i got bushwhacked by my offspring that i just used the ghiradhelli (spelling?) as that was about as high end chocolate as i could manage, and it was super.

i hope someone can add where this recipe came from, i hate not to give credit where credit is due.

Thanks, drakegore! That sounds double delicious!!!!

drakegore: I don't think we're allowed to copy and paste a recipe like that, just an FYI.

The recipe is from epicurious. If you google the name "double chocolate layer cake" it's the first thing that comes up.

Here is the link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275

I never make the ganache that goes with it.. but I always make this cake. It is SO flipping good!!

ahhh, i won't do it again, thanks for the heads up! i love it here, i would not want to make a misstep and get the boot .

i made the ganache frosting too. very good, but very heavy. i added some more cream and whipped a bit to lighten it up. i would also add that it did NOT make enough to fill and frost my 8" cake. maybe it would if i spread the filling layer very thin, but that's not likely to happen in this house...

I get that at times too. I level my cakes while still in the pan so that part gets cut off. As long as the center of the cake is done then there shouldn't be a problem.