Hi all, everytime I bake a cake, I get crispy sides. I mean the cake is moist and has perfect texture but the sides are brown and hard/crispy. I checked the oven temp with a oven thermometer and it reaches 350 when I set it to 375. So I always set it at 375 as the recipe calls for 350. also I don't line the pan with parchment paper, I use shortening and flour to coat and the cake comes out nicely. What might I be doing wrong to cause the overcooked sides?

I find prepping the pans with shortening/flour will give a more "crisp" texture to the cake.

Try baking at a slightly lower temp (340 deg) and use less flour on the pan.

I just grease my pans and use parchment on the bottom for a more tender crust.

HTH

I bake my cakes @ 325 in a convection oven. When I overcook them I get the same thing. Just trim the sides off. Use the flower nail trick in the middle of the cake instead of a core & you can cook in less time and maybe not overdue the sides.

thanks a million dkelly, I'll definitely use your method from now (greasing the pan with parchment at the bottom) and also try to reduce the temp a little bit.

thank you amberkw, I don't have a convection oven but I'll try to reduce the temp. I thought the flower nail method is to get the top leveled. I tried that once and my top still had a dome. but I guess I'll try that again.

that was happening to me too. until i started using parchment paper and reduced my oven temp.
HTH

I also grease-only-no-flour my pans. I've tried spraying Pam on the pans, but that fries the sides of the cake ...making them all crispy. So I never use Pam spray anymore.

The nail is used to help your middle bake evenly with your edges.

I use parchment too... even on the sides of the cakes (makes clean up a breeze). Also, a recipe with a lot of sugar will lend itself to having crispier and more browned sides... so maybe look at your recipe?

I always bake my cakes at 325 and they always come out moist. Got this tip from youtube. And it really works well and grease your pain really good.

If your middle is baking evenly, you are not trying to bake it longer to get the middle done, which would in turn crisp your sides.

great! I'll definitely use the flower nail method next time in addition to using the parchment paper and baking it in slightly lower temp.