It seems to be generally accepted that cooking cakes on a low temperature produces a more level cake. So I thought I'd give it a go. I started with the WASC scratch recipe ( http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2165/a-better-white-scratch-cake )

Before I go on, I just want to assure everyone that I HAVE bought an oven thermometer, and my oven keeps perfect temperature. It's sitting right in the middle of the oven, where the cakes sit.

After four attempts, each one tweaking the ingredients, I have given up. they barely rose, and were 'raw' looking. I wondered if maybe they weren't supposed to rise, after all this recipe has been described as very dense and suitable for carving. So I wasn't really sure if I'd done anything wrong, as I didn't know what to expect. I cooked that cake at 350, btw.

However I just tried a vanilla buttermilk cake, the recipe is from the sky high recipe book. The recipe says to cook the cake at 325 for 26-28 minutes. After that amount of time it had barely risen, and a skin had formed on the top, but it was wobbling like jelly. I clicked that the temperature might be a problem, so turned it up until a skewer came out clean, for more than half an hour extra. It's cooling on the counter now, so I don't know if I've rescued it or not.

Has anyone else had this problem? I will definitely be cooking at higher temperatures from now on, but I'm confused why this has happened to me.

I bake at 340 and it takes longer to bake if you lower the temp....some of these recipes calling for 25-30 minutes....well not in my oven...if its wobbly its not done....you might want to try using a core in your cakes so they bake more evenly. I just did the wasc and it was really excellent. However, I have had times where it sunk on me, and I have no clue why the same cake will do something different another day......puzzling

Hi Zespri -
I have just clicked on the recipe link and read it through - plus the comments following...

Many state it is *sponge like* in texture - so i am thinking...you need to have your oven temp higher instead of lower - other wise you won't get the rise and the middle will stay jelly like as you said.

I know it said a dense cake - but looking at the ingrediants - i really can't see anything dense about it...and some of the comments have said that it is a very fine crumb and that they wouldn't attempt to carve it.
One comment said that it was excellant for cupcakes - and domed well - i think that is what you are looking for this recipe.

325F is what i would cook it at - from statt to finsh...that way your cake will be cooked in the midddle and the cooking time wouldn't take forever.
About 5 minutes before the recommended cooking time - test with a screwer or toothpick - and if it comes out clean - voula -you have your cooked cake.



Bluehue.

@Bluehue: But I cooked that cake at 350, and at the end it started coming away from the edge, the top was browning, and a cake tester came out clean. If I bake it at 325 I'll be even worse off...? Or did you mean 375?

P.S. I just had a moment of finding it amusing that you and I both live in the part of the world where we use celcius, but we're converting to farenheit in here.

yep, I mean the WASC one I posted. I made it in both a 6.5" pan, and an 8" pan, but can't say how many cups of batter I did. It was enough batter to make 12 cupcakes, because I split the recipe in half and made cupcakes each time. Which co-incidentally were very tasty, as I cooked them at a higher temp initially to get the dome. They stuck to the paper like b*****ds though.

I don't mind you assuming that, it makes it easier if we're all talking the same language, and majority rules I guess!