Over Cooked Cake Top's....

Decorating By darlene_000 Updated 23 Mar 2007 , 5:32pm by cakesbyjess

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darlene_000 Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 3:26pm
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Ok, before posting I want to say.... I use a flower nail to distribute heat to the middle, and I bake at 325°...

Everytime I bake a cake, the top gets very over cooked, hard & brown. If I don't leave it in long enough it's not cooked in the middle.. the top is cut off, and the rest of the cake is fine... but Im trying to figure out why, and how to eliminate this.... I want nice moist evenly brown cakes...

I used baking strips a few times, but didn't like them, they left the sides of my cakes too moist to where they would stick to the pan.... plus it didn't affect the tops, they still got too brown and crispy...

ideas?

8 replies
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cakesbyjess Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 4:10pm
post #2 of 9

Do you have an oven thermometer? If not, you may want to get one. Your oven may be baking too hot, which might explain the overcooked cake tops.

Also, do you have an electric oven? I do, and I have the most success when I put the baking rack right in the middle of the oven. If your rack is too close to the top of the oven, that may be the problem.

Hope this helps!

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mareg Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 4:11pm
post #3 of 9

I would say your oven is off. I have a thermometer in mine at all times b/c mine is always off.

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Teekakes Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 4:17pm
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I agree with the previous post..............it sounds like your oven is off, and/or, you need to make sure the baking rack is placed in the center of the oven.

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darlene_000 Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 5:18pm
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Ok, I'll lower the rack a little, I think it may need to go down one notch, and see how that effects my next cake. If Im still having the same issue I'll get a thermometer and test it. Its an electric oven, but only 1-2 years old, so I don't see why it should be off in baking temp's?

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cakesbyjess Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 5:22pm
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Some ovens can be off even when they are brand new. Unfortunately, they aren't always calibrated correctly when they're built. My oven thermometer hangs from the rack in my oven, so I can always see it. It was pretty inexpensive, and definitely worth it.

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indydebi Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 5:24pm
post #7 of 9

How does having it too close to the top cause the top to be brown? The upper heating element is the broiler .... when you're baking, the heat comes from the bottom of the oven. Educate me, please.... icon_confused.gif

I agree that your oven temp may be off kilter.

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darlene_000 Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 5:25pm
post #8 of 9

Where can I get an oven thermometer-- do places like Walmart etc sell them?

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cakesbyjess Posted 23 Mar 2007 , 5:32pm
post #9 of 9

This one is very similar to mine ... I got it at Target: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1174671013/ref=sr_1_1/601-7425990-4323314?ie=UTF8&asin=B000HB5NA4

I'm sure you could find one at Walmart or Bed, Bath & Beyond, too.

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