My Cake Don't Raise

Decorating By cakelove2105 Updated 13 Nov 2013 , 2:52am by cakelove2105

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cakelove2105 Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 4:24pm
post #1 of 24

AHello cake professionals here.

Can someone explain why my cakes are not raising as I expect to? I feel that a cake that doesn't raise don't get spongy. My cakes seem too raise a the bigging but later on they like sink in the middle. I wonder if that could be the baking powder I'm using or maybe the amount I'm using.

Helpp!!!

23 replies
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ddaigle Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 4:25pm
post #2 of 24

Can you post your recipe?

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cakelove2105 Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 4:29pm
post #3 of 24

A

Original message sent by ddaigle

Can you post your recipe?

Here is 1. 1Lb Flour 2. 2 tbs of baking powder 3. 1/2 c margarine 4. 1/2 c butter 5. 10 eggs 6. 1 Lb Sugar 6. 2 Cups milk 8. 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract 9. 2 teaspoons of limon zest

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ddaigle Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 4:31pm
post #4 of 24

I won't be able to help you, as I am not a scratch baker, but I'm sure some one will jump in soon and help.

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gbbaker Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 5:09pm
post #5 of 24

I would guess you have too much baking powder, try reducing it by 1/2 teaspoon.

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Claire138 Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 6:39pm
post #6 of 24

Is that 2 Tablespoons of baking powder? If so that's a lot. 

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Dayti Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 6:58pm
post #7 of 24

2 Tbs is not really a lot since there is a lot of flour, sugar and eggs. Not much fat though. What size tin are you baking in, at what temperature and for how long? Perhaps your cake is undercooked, even by a few minutes could cause it to sink.

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Claire138 Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 7:06pm
post #8 of 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayti 
 

2 Tbs is not really a lot since there is a lot of flour, sugar and eggs. Not much fat though. What size tin are you baking in, at what temperature and for how long? Perhaps your cake is undercooked, even by a few minutes could cause it to sink.

That's interesting, I've never heard of 2 Tbs in a recipe. 

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BrandisBaked Posted 29 Oct 2013 , 7:54pm
post #9 of 24

AHave you made this recipe with good results before? If so, check to the expiration dates on your baking powder.

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enga Posted 31 Oct 2013 , 10:45pm
post #10 of 24

I don't know cakelove2105 that sounds an awful lot like a pound cake recipe. But they don't use baking powder or baking soda in any of the recipes that I have seen and used.

 

The reason I said this is because I noticed the recipe calls for a pound of flour and a pound of sugar. This site explains how pound cake got its name because it called for a pound of most of the ingredients.

 

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/PoundCake.htm

 

Here is one recipe

 

  • 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 9 large, room-temperature eggs

 

Do you mind my asking where you got this recipe from?

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suzied Posted 31 Oct 2013 , 11:09pm
post #11 of 24

I make a lot of pound cakes. far too much of baking powder in this recipe. I would add only 4teaspoon baking powder for this quantity of flour - for sure. (also about 8eggs)  failing which check your oven door beading (rubber strip)  2 tablespoons of Vanilla?????   2tsp  (teaspoons) should do.  there is far too much of liquid. one cup milk is more than enough, in my opinion. What temperature are you baking it at  and for how long?  I would say  180 degrees.  I would bake this in a 10" sq/rnd pan. for abt 1 hr  - 15mins

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enga Posted 1 Nov 2013 , 12:17am
post #12 of 24

Here is
1. 1Lb Flour
2. 2 tbs of baking powder
3. 1/2 c margarine
4. 1/2 c butter
5. 10 eggs
6. 1 Lb Sugar
6. 2 Cups milk
8. 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
9. 2 teaspoons of limon zest

 

The ratio of fat and sugar to flour is a little off to be a traditional pound cake, not enough fat I know. The amount of eggs is right for one but in a regular cake recipe is excessive. So are the amounts of vanilla and baking powder.

 

I would try using  3 1/2 cups of flour (4 cups=1#), 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 tsp of vanilla and maybe 1 tbs of baking powder.

 

Or maybe this is a practical joke,lol because this is one weird recipe.

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cakelandgb Posted 2 Nov 2013 , 12:39pm
post #13 of 24

Hi

 

I use "a pound all round" mix and have done so for the past 12 years. We don't use any extra raising agents. Over the years i have found that the quality of the flour plays an important role as does a variety of other factors. Sometimes if the butter is too cold, i have had cakes sink slightly in the middle, so try and make sure its at room temperature when you're mixing. I've also baked at home and the cakes are nowhere near as good as they are at work, as all the ingredients are the same the only other factor is my oven at home is vastly inferior to the convection oven at work. It really is a case of trial and error and finding what ingredients work best for you.

 

Good luck with the next bake.

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fbrumback Posted 2 Nov 2013 , 12:52pm
post #14 of 24

Try rapping the cake pan on a hard surface several times to help release bubbles.  Too much aeration in the batter will cause the cake to collapse in the middle.  So will opening the oven door to early (in the first 15 mins of baking) or shutting it too hard.  Check the expiration of your leavening.  Then do a water test - sprinkle it in some warm water.  Both soda and powder should foam if its still good.  Do not use self rising flour and always always sift your dry ingredients. 

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cakelove2105 Posted 11 Nov 2013 , 6:11pm
post #15 of 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by enga 
 

Here is
1. 1Lb Flour
2. 2 tbs of baking powder
3. 1/2 c margarine
4. 1/2 c butter
5. 10 eggs
6. 1 Lb Sugar
6. 2 Cups milk
8. 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
9. 2 teaspoons of limon zest

 

The ratio of fat and sugar to flour is a little off to be a traditional pound cake, not enough fat I know. The amount of eggs is right for one but in a regular cake recipe is excessive. So are the amounts of vanilla and baking powder.

 

I would try using  3 1/2 cups of flour (4 cups=1#), 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 tsp of vanilla and maybe 1 tbs of baking powder.

 

Or maybe this is a practical joke,lol because this is one weird recipe.

Might sound weird to you because its a Dominican cake and we make cakes differently. however, there should be no difference in the amount of baking power a cake should have as it has to do with the fat we put in, am I wrong?

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cakelove2105 Posted 11 Nov 2013 , 6:13pm
post #16 of 24

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will take them into consideration. :)

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enga Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 3:05am
post #17 of 24

cakelove2105 I meant no disrespect, if you look at my post I said it seems a lot like a pound cake recipe except for the baking powder and it is unusual for a cake recipe to me.  I was responding to suzied's post about the fat to flour ratio, should have replied under her post. When there was no response from you I thought it might have been a joke as it has happened on this site before. You put as much baking powder in your cake as you want too. Your World, sorry for responding to your post about why Your cake doesn't rise and trying to help. Deuces!

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suzied Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 10:41am
post #18 of 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by enga 
 

cakelove2105 I meant no disrespect, if you look at my post I said it seems a lot like a pound cake recipe except for the baking powder and it is unusual for a cake recipe to me.  I was responding to suzied's post about the fat to flour ratio, should have replied under her post. When there was no response from you I thought it might have been a joke as it has happened on this site before. You put as much baking powder in your cake as you want too. Your World, sorry for responding to your post about why Your cake doesn't rise and trying to help. Deuces!

Did I mention anything about "fat" in my post? I don't think so " Enga"  that recipe isn't mine. Not sure what you are referring to.

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enga Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 12:07pm
post #19 of 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzied 
 

Did I mention anything about "fat" in my post? I don't think so " Enga"  that recipe isn't mine. Not sure what you are referring to.


No you didn't mention fat, I did. You mentioned that you make a lot of pound cakes. So I replied to you about the fat to flour ratio in a pound cake. I also stated that most traditional pound cakes don't have baking powder in them. Which is why I was miffed by the recipe and said it was weird (meaning something I have never ran across before) not that it was a bad thing, just unusual , cakelove, and I never said the recipe was yours "suzied".

 

You learn something everyday. The other day I learned that I could make a pretty nice vanilla cupcake using 1 egg and 1 egg white that I thought wouldn't rise. Today I learned not to call someone's recipe weird and not to use a fellow posters name in my explanation.

 

I am so sorry that I made you both so angry. Believe me, it will never happen again.  OP, I wish you luck with your recipe.

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cakelove2105 Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 1:35pm
post #20 of 24

A

Original message sent by enga

cakelove2105 I meant no disrespect, if you look at my post I said it seems a lot like a pound cake recipe except for the baking powder and it is unusual for a cake recipe to me.  I was responding to suzied's post about the fat to flour ratio, should have replied under her post. When there was no response from you I thought it might have been a joke as it has happened on this site before. You put as much baking powder in your cake as you want too. Your World, sorry for responding to your post about why Your cake doesn't rise and trying to help. Deuces!

I did not mean like that. Dont get it twisted. What I meant was that my whole recipe might sound wierd as its a dominican cake. Never meant to disrespect. All comments are welcome. I have had people here that In fact have disrespected me and Ive never said anything to offend them, and I'm not going to start with you.

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cakelove2105 Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 1:43pm
post #21 of 24

A

Original message sent by enga

I don't know cakelove2105 that sounds an awful lot like a pound cake recipe. But they don't use baking powder or baking soda in any of the recipes that I have seen and used.

The reason I said this is because I noticed the recipe calls for a pound of flour and a pound of sugar. This site explains how pound cake got its name because it called for a pound of most of the ingredients.

[URL=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/PoundCake.htm]http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/PoundCake.htm[/URL]

Here is one recipe

[LIST] [*] 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour [*] 1 tablespoon coarse salt [*] 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans [*] 2 cups sugar [*] 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract [*] 9 large, room-temperature eggs [/LIST]

Do you mind my asking where you got this recipe from?

I got it from a domincan website. You forgot to mention the baking powder in your recipe.

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enga Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 7:07pm
post #22 of 24

Acakelove, can we start over? I got the recipe above from a traditional pound cake recipe. They do not use baking powder or chemical leavening in them. That is why I original thought your cake recipe was a pound cake recipe but it had baking powder as one of the ingredients, so I started wondering why it wouldn't rise.

I really was just trying to help you. I was not trying to be rude to anyone. I tried to reply to suzied because she stated that she makes a lot of pound cakes. I thought she was talking to me because I was the one who brought up pound cakes. This seems like a big misunderstanding, that is why I don't post a lot on here because things can quickly heat up.

I sincerely hope you find out what the problem is as to why your cake wont rise. If you have made this recipe before with no problems,then (as others have stated above), it could be your ingredients, the temperature of them, or your oven.

Good Luck!

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enga Posted 12 Nov 2013 , 8:17pm
post #23 of 24

AHi cakelove2105 I found this at work. I think it will really help. :)

http://dominicanflavor.com/desserts/dominican-style-cakebizcocho-dominicano.html

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cakelove2105 Posted 13 Nov 2013 , 2:52am
post #24 of 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by enga 

Hi cakelove2105 I found this at work. I think it will really help. icon_smile.gif

http://dominicanflavor.com/desserts/dominican-style-cakebizcocho-dominicano.html

Oh thanks a lot :)

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