Ok I made a cake for a guy and he told me that they couldn't eat it b/c it was burnt!! OMG! I even torted it. The outside was firm but not so hard that you couldn't cut it. I use the wilton 3in pans. I was cooking it until it was golden brown and one lady said that it was like the inside of the cake wasn't really good and done. So now I leave them in the oven(325 degrees) until it really good and dark(not burnt). Now this guy is telling me how awful tha cake was. I can't win for losing. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?

I've found that using a flower nail and the Wilton bake even strips makes a big difference. They cook more evenly. I also have my oven at 325, like you do.
HTH

bake some cakes for your self, and see what happens. the guides i use for a cakes doneness are:
- the smell of cake coming through the house. a good indicator it is getting towards done.
- a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean - no batter. a golden rule.
- the cake springs back to the thouch. another golden rule.
it should say in the recipe what specifically to look for in your cake.
xx

Do I need to stop using the 3in and just do the 2in pans? I thought at first that it was my oil that I was using but it wasn't. It still did it after I changed the oil. I stick a knife down in the cake and it comes out clear but like I said the one lady said it still tasted not completely done. I checked the cake that she was talking about and it was done but the cake itself was really "compacted" and heavy. I can't be havin this happen. I just started out. I know you can't please everyone but this kind of stuff will break a business. What am I doin wrong???? I'm making the cake just like it says too and baking it. How long do you leave your in the oven when using the 3in?

If you go to this site:

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/

it will give you links for baking times for 2 and 3 inch pans of various sizes. In many instances, they recommend baking at 350. I find 325 is better and just add a few more minutes to the recommended time.
Brincess_b's methods for checking are basically the ones that I follow too. I never even bother looking at a cake in the oven until I can smell it throughout the house.

Use a flower nail. I use one every time, every pan & haven't had any problems since doing that. Good luck!

Are your pans shiny, aluminum-colored, or dark? Dark pans are bad news -- absorb too much heat and burn the outside before the inside is done. Where in the oven are you putting your pans? If too low, inside won't be done -- if too high, top may brown too fast. Have you checked the heat in your oven? Are you using a mix, or scratch? If scratch, what recipe are you using? My yellow cake doesn't call for oil -- neither does my chocolate cake. Were both of your problem cakes the same kind, same recipe?

dont open the oven door until its time either - can cause sinking/ not baking right problems too.
xx

I use the Wilton 3in aluminum pans. I bake on 325. I will try using the flower nail next time most def! I use a box recipe ( I know, not really making a real cake until you do it from scratch) but with my schedule its really hard for me to make the cakes from scratch. I use a recipe that my friend gave me of mixing Duncan Hines and Pillbury together, it gives it a great flavor. But I put in the middle of the oven on the middle rack. I have a big cake going out this weekend and it has to be great both inside and out. I normally know that its getting there when I smell it. Maybe its my oven. I will have to check it. THanks to all of you who have given me info. I have stopped using my Wilton Bake even strips. Maybe I need to use them again. Thanks again to you all!! I really appreciate it!

I made several vanilla recipes (in cupcake form) and took them to work and hade everybody write comments on each cupcake - just so I could find that perfect vanilla cake, but what ended up happening is I realized that everybody has a different idea on what a good cake should be. I got comments like "I don't like moist cake, it makes me think they're underbaked", or on the really dry cake I had "man this is the moistest cake I've ever had".....my point is, your cake may not have been under or over done...it might have been their perceptions. My rule of thumb is, that I find a recipe that I love and my family loves and then run with it.

Thank you ot everyone for all your suggestions! Hopefully this will not happen ot me again!! Thanks again! Have a good day!

And BTW - you are baking a real cake, even if it is out of a box....don't feel bad about it.

The problem could be using two different brands of cake mix together,(Duncan Hines and Pillsbury) why not try the Duncan Hines with the WASC recipe I just add less sugar, because box mixes already have, sugar I also use the Wasc with any flavor cake mix not only white and I always get rave reviews, for instance if you want strawberry puree fresh strawberries, or frozen strawberries without the syrup, I use Wilton Pans also I know Magic Lines are better but before I knew of ML I already spent hundreds of dollars on Wilton and I am not going to throw them out they work fine for me, but I also don't have a business just a hobby baker, but I don't like how the three inch ones bake

Yumm, I will have to try that one. What recipe do you use?

Lemon, Strawberry, Orange, Cherry, and many more, Some I add fresh fruit some I add flavored gelatin not the pudding the flavored ones I also use many flavors from the gourmet thread flavors and I like a lot of them, this weekend for my friends baby shower, I made strawberry with cheesecake filling, Almond Joy with coconut filling, and kahula(SP) with ganache filling

Recently I started to have the same problems with my cakes, I couldn't figure out why. I decided to check my oven and it was off by 50 degrees. After I fixed that I decide to try the flower nail idea that everyone suggest....I will never go back, it works like a charm!
I use a simple doctored mix that works beautifully for sculpted cakes and tastes delicous. It is denser than a stright box mix, but everyone seems to love it.
When I test for doneness, I stick a toothpick in the center and when it comes out with crumbs on, I take the cake out. It will continue to cook as it cools.

I have notice just about everyone bake cakes at 325 but i find that baking at 350 is a lot better for me. Most recipes suggest 350 degrees. My cakes always comes out done in the center and moist when i bake at 350. I tried baking at 325 and my cakes we not done in the center even with the extra baking time. Maybe you might try baking at 350 degrees.

hi... can u throw some light on this flower nail idea...i have no clue abt what u guys r talking abt...sounds interesting ..pls let me know..when to use it while baking.

The nail is the Wilton Rose Nail. You put in on the bottom of ur pans and pour your batter on top and bake. It acts like a heating core. I have never tried it but I'm going too.

Grease the flower nail and then place it flat end down int eh middle of your pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan, making sure the nail is still flat side down, bake it. When the cake is completely cooled, flip it over to ge tit out of teh pan and pull the flower nail out. HTH

I always bake at 350 never 325, and when I use my flower nail I pour the batter in the cake pan, Then I grease the nail, and pit it in the middle of the batter, with the flat side down, When the cake bakes and you flip it over the nail falls right out, works like a charm.

I always grease my flower nail before I put it in my pan. One time I did not grease my flower nail and it got stuck and when I tried to pull it out a big chunck of the cake around the nail came out also. I had to do alot of patching to that cake. So be careful if you do not grease it before you put it in.

Hi, I have baked 'overbaked cakes' too. I use pilssbury. Tried many things and now they are turning out fine (for me and family )
- I agree with Jeff_Arnett: check your oven temperature. temperature in my oven was too high (old oven, higher then "indicated")
- flower nail tip is a good one, especially for large cakes
- I always put my batter in the middle of the (preheated) oven. Middle meaning horizontal and vertical
- try placing a cakepan filled with water underneat pan, makes it moist, but it lengtens your baking time a little ( for 1 box, baking time aproximatly 45- 50 minutes)
- Don't know if this one is an appropiate tip here, but I split the eggs. Beating the egg whites with a clean mixer and adding it as the final ingridient to batter.
- fill cakepan with batter for +-70% or less.

hey guys thanks a ton for all ur great ideas..i was really not aware of this flower nail tip.