I am making a 3 tier cake & need help finding the best type cake to make. I tried to make a pound cake & started w/ the 9" layer but it came out dry @ edges & under done in the center. I filled pans about 1/2 way & tried cooking @ 325 & 350( I also made a 7" layer). The cakes also broke apart when I was taking them out of the pans. The top portion of the cakes also came out smaller than the bottom. Any help would be greatly appreciated as i'm getting very very frustrated.

Do you want a recipe from a mix or from scratch? I've had a lot of luck with WASC (white almond sour cream cake). I think a lot of members here use that recipe. It's very sturdy, moist and tastes great! You can also alter the recipe for whatever flavor you want. It starts with a mix, but you add so much stuff to it that it tastes like it is from scratch.

I only use the WASC recipe and make variations of it for other flavors.

I can give you a list of variation recipes we have come up with if you like. Also the gourmet flavors thread on CC is a wealth of knowledge and recipes, ideas.

hth

I'm sure there are a lot of recipes that would work fine, but I do want to chime in on the WASC. The great thing about that recipe to me is that it's consistent. It comes out beautiful every time. In my dealings with other recipes, that's not always the case. I don't know why, but I have a hard time with poundcakes. I've made cakes with poundcake recipes, but there's always something that goes wrong or just isn't quite the way I want it to be. I'm beginning to think I'm jinxed with those!


Lisa

I'm sure there are a lot of recipes that would work fine, but I do want to chime in on the WASC. The great thing about that recipe to me is that it's consistent. It comes out beautiful every time. In my dealings with other recipes, that's not always the case. I don't know why, but I have a hard time with poundcakes. I've made cakes with poundcake recipes, but there's always something that goes wrong or just isn't quite the way I want it to be. I'm beginning to think I'm jinxed with those!


Lisa

Sorry I don't have any suggestions as I am rather new and still trying recipes myself.
lindambc...I just recently tried the WASC recipe and love it. I would love the list of variations to the recipe if you wouldn't mind sharing.

linda, if you could post your variations on the WASC recipe on here, I would sure appreicate it. TIA.

WASC is the best. You won't be sorry.

I just did a 4 tier wedding cake with vanilla pound cake, a chocolate cake receipe by Collette Peters and the red velvet cake recipe by Chef Stef posted on CC.

I don't have all the answers but maybe the following might help:

Have you used pound cake receipes in the past? Pound cake was our family cake of choice when I was growing up and I feel like I have been making them all my life. I cook mine low and slow and for a little longer time than some recipes call for and it is always moist and holds together very well. I also use a cake core when making anything bigger than a 10" cake. I use my ingredients at room temp. The chocolate cake recipe is a moist cake and is cooked low and slow as well. The red velvet recipe was a big hit as well.

Are your pans shiny or dark? Sometimes that can make a difference in how the cakes turn out. Is your oven running true to temp? Maybe cooking too hot? Check the temp of your oven. My guess is that your oven is off and that is causing the problem. You can also put a large cookie sheet on the lowest rack of your oven and see if that will deflect some of the direct heat causing the bottom and edges of your cake to brown too soon. My oven is off and has a hot spot and I keep the cooking sheet in the bottom rack almost all of the time to help control how the cake cooks and browns. You could also use a flower nail in the center to make sure it cooks all the way. Keep checking your cake, you may have to take the cake out sooner.

I cool all my layers in the pan and then turn them out and use the heat of my hand on the bottom of the pan to get the cake to release. Haven't had a problem with them breaking up.

I've been running your problem through my mind since I read the post and these ideas are what I could come up for possible causes for the cake problems. I don't know everything about baking, but wanted to try and help.

Good luck! You can do it
Pam

You should read this thread for WASC variations:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-614554-gourmet.html+flavors

HTH

About the oven temp. I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. Sorry spelling is out. I just had my oven fixed. What I learned is that the temp to preheat (let's say that you are trying for 350) will go to 425 or so. Then, when you open the oven, the temp falls at least 50. Then, as the baking time goes on, the oven goes between 370 and 325, with 350 being the medium. Oven thermomters are slow-acting. They take about 15 min to register, which is why they are able to accurately show the mean temp of your oven. So, put an oven thermometer in, and let your oven run for about 45 min. Then see where the temp is.
HTH

WASC is always a crowd pleaser. You can flavor it any number of ways.

Can you replace the sour cream with flavored yogurt?

"Best recipe for a tiered cake" .......

If you're asking what kind of cake will hold up for a tiered cake, then the asnwer is "any of them".

The bottom cake does not support the top tier. Your support system supports the top tier. You could make a bottom tier entirely out of Cool Whip or Jell-O and if you had a good support system, the upper tier would sit in place just fine.