Commercial Convection Oven - Help Me Please!!!
Decorating By DelightsByE Updated 6 Apr 2007 , 10:38pm by ombaker
I use the kitchen at a friend's restaurant for my cakes. They have this big old double-door convection oven that came with the facility, and nobody really uses it but me. I thought it'd be a dream come true, making all the layers of a wedding cake at the same time. Except I cant seem to get the hang of it. The last time I tried, I used bake even strips and flower nails in all rounds 10" or more, but the tops were dark brown and crispy (like a cookie) and the insides were gooey. This was at 300 degrees convection for an hour and 15 minutes. (And let's not even talk about what happened at 350)
The oven has been calibrated and I know it holds the set temperature. But I guess I have no clue how to adjust the oven appropriately for a cake that should bake at 325 for 70 minutes in my oven at home.
HELP!!!!
I'm sorry I can't help you, but I wanted to share your pain. The commercial kitchen I rent has a double-door convection oven that burned the #*&* out of a 14" Italian Cream cake the last time I used it.
I read that Sarah at Baking911 says convection ovens are not good for cakes -- the blowing air cooks the outside too fast. Now I believe her. 
In my experiance you need to reduce the temp by 25 degrees and make sure the fan is on low. It's not perfect but it helps. Baking time is also shorter and there my be times when you need to cover the cake with foil towards the end. Experiment with pan sizes and recipes till you see what times work best.
Hope that helps.
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