Does high altitude really affect baking? How high? What do you do if you live/bake in a high altitude area?
Thanks!
High altitude definitely makes a difference... Where I live I am about 6300 ft. above sea level; anything over 3500 is considered high altitude. It can be very difficult to bake at high altitudes. Even with adjustments I've found that some recipes simply don't come out right but those are usually scratch; if you use a WASC-type recipe you'll be fine once you adjust accordingly.
For scratch baking at the very basic level you need to:
Reduce leavening by 1/4 for each teaspoon
Reduce sugar by 2 tbs per each cup
Increase liquid by 2 tbs per each cup
For a WASC or doctored cake mix I do the following:
Add 1/4 cup of flour to the cake mix; add your cup of flour; measure your cup of sugar and then REMOVE 2 tablespoons of it before adding it to your cake mix; follow instructions on the package re: liquid EXCEPT add a tablespoon of liquid (if the liquid is oil and water, I add oil); follow instructions on package re: eggs and add 1 more (DH mixes call for 3 eggs, use 4); add the full 8 oz of sour cream.
Here is a link to a very helpful blog about high altitude baking.
http://www.handmadeinhighplaces.com/
Good luck!
High altitude definitely makes a difference... Where I live I am about 6300 ft. above sea level; anything over 3500 is considered high altitude. It can be very difficult to bake at high altitudes. Even with adjustments I've found that some recipes simply don't come out right but those are usually scratch; if you use a WASC-type recipe you'll be fine once you adjust accordingly.
For scratch baking at the very basic level you need to:
Reduce leavening by 1/4 for each teaspoon
Reduce sugar by 2 tbs per each cup
Increase liquid by 2 tbs per each cup
For a WASC or doctored cake mix I do the following:
Add 1/4 cup of flour to the cake mix; add your cup of flour; measure your cup of sugar and then REMOVE 2 tablespoons of it before adding it to your cake mix; follow instructions on the package re: liquid EXCEPT add a tablespoon of liquid (if the liquid is oil and water, I add oil); follow instructions on package re: eggs and add 1 more (DH mixes call for 3 eggs, use 4); add the full 8 oz of sour cream.
Here is a link to a very helpful blog about high altitude baking.
http://www.handmadeinhighplaces.com/
Good luck!
Hi There! I am in Park City for the month of August, and while I have made banana bread here, I had never baked a cake up until last night...WASC. The banana bread needed no adjustments, I did it to the exact recipe as usual, but my WASC sunk (sank?) horribly. I will try with the above adjustments...quick question: do you adjust oven temp? Different sites on the web tell me different things. I am at about 6700ft. Thanks!
I usually bake at 325, which is a bit lower than what most of my recipes call for. Good luck!
Frustrated!! I baked again last night with the recipe adjustments and it sank again, though differently than the first time. This time it looked like a sink hole in the middle, with a 3 inch ring around it that rose properly. The first time the whole thing looked deflated. I am baking in 1 12" round pan, at 325 on a convwection setiing. I was watching the cake, and it rose beautifully, then at about 50 minutes it started sinking. I pulled it out and it sank furthur. The middle is about 5 minutes from being done. Should I have left it in longer even though it started sinking? Any help is appreciated, my son's bday is tomorrow! And I am not a novice baker. I can usually make this or any cake in my sleep! TIA!
Gosh, I'm sorry...I don't know what to tell you. I have never had those issues. I'm not knowledgable about the science behind the altitude changes, I just know that I have to make them 
. I've never been able to get help here on CC for high altitude problems so maybe you should do some research elswhere? BUT, that being said, I have never baked a cake for 50 minutes. Are you using a heating core? I have only ever used one for a 14" cake but maybe that would help? Again, I'm really sorry...good luck.
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