How Do You Know When Your Scratch Cake Is Done?
Decorating By absolutecakes Updated 28 Jun 2007 , 8:03am by brittanydear
I just tried another scratch cake, this will be about my 5th scratch cake. Once again it looks like ****!!!! I can't seem to get it right. It looked great, then poof it shrunk, I think I over baked it. So how do you know when they are done? The last one I tried looked done, so I stuck my cake tester in the middle and nope it wasn't done because the whole thing deflated into thin mess. Now this stupid one. How the heck do you all do this?????
Katie
As for me, I usually follow the instructions in the recipe as best I can. I leave it in the oven for the specified amount of time and then I test it. I end up having to leave it in a little longer than what is called for in the recipe. I know that a very important detail when making a scratch cake is to NOT over mix it. I found this out the hard way. My cakes were coming out like cornbread. When I stopped over mixing them they were coming out perfect.... everytime 
Remember, you want to mix it just enough to mix the dry into the wet ingredients. Then make yourself stop! That was the hard part for me.
HTH,
Lazy_Susan
I just posted a little tutorial on scratch cakes the other day...might help
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-365153.html
I don't like to use a cake tester much. I'd rather do it by feeling the top. If the top is firm like a pillow, it's done
Checking for doneness hints and tips:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-12497-.html
HTH
Sorry your cake didn't turn out like you hoped! Did other things about it seem over-cooked? How did the cake taste?
The way I test for doneness is by smell, time (I start checking 5 minutes before the stated done time on recipe), and toothpick method. I look for mostly crumb free or very few, dry looking crumbs on a skewer, toothpick, knife, whatever is handy. If one of my cakes fall, which sometimes they do very slighlty if they are rich, I just turn it over and ice the other side, or if I am torting it, put that side in the middle toward the filling. If it sinks very much of course you will want to fill it with extra icing or cake scraps or cake spackling or something so that it doesn't create a structural problem. Good luck!!!!
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