Alright, so I was tearing my hair out a few days ago about my first big order and about how I couldn't mold the animals I needed for decorating.
Well I thought I'd better start baking anyway and sort out the animals later - My cakes are a disaster. I used the following recipe for two 8"x10" cakes: 750g Margarine, Sugar & Flour, 18eggs, 15ml vanilla. I used a mixer for creaming, then folded in my eggs and flour.
I baked half first, and then I baked the second half. They both baked for 50mins each, and are nasty in the middle. I haven't cut them, but I can tell that they are quite dense in the middle and I can't stand that.
Can anyone tell me what I did wrong? I hate to think that I'd have to bake them again - but if I have to, I need to know what I need to do right. I've never made cakes this large before...
The 18 eggs part sounds wrong to me lol. I've never made a cake that calls for any where near that amount of eggs.
I've made 11x15" cakes before and not had problems with them. I also use boxed mixes doctored up with pudding and such but have never made a cake from scratch yet because my parents kitchen isn't allowed stuff that messy lol. But I may be wrong on this but I think the eggs is what did it.
Maybe it's one of those weird evil recipes that doesn't like being doubled or tripled... Maybe just make 3 seperate batches of it and then add it to the pans as needed instead of mixing all at once...
Maybe it's one of those weird evil recipes that doesn't like being doubled or tripled... Maybe just make 3 seperate batches of it and then add it to the pans as needed instead of mixing all at once...
That is a very good idea!! I agree with OhMyGoodies! So I guess this is not the first time you've used the recipe... 
18 eggs!!! 750g margarine!! (that's about 1lb 10oz.). It sounds like you have a recipe to make a lot more batter than the pans you are using. or will make a very dense cake. Especially if you are folding in the eggs. Beating the eggs will lighten your batter and promotes rising. How full were your pans?
Also, just FYI: your cakes may end up baking differently if not baked at the same time. This is because:
the batter has been sitting, so it has a different temperature to start out with,
your leaveners may be at different reaction stages and
your oven will be at a different temperature for the second cake.
-Rezzy
I've had to do that with a few recipes I've done before. Even though they were box mixes I've been told and seen on Food Network you can combine everything in one bowl for your multiple box mixes and mix all together at once, it didn't work for me it didn't come out right and tasted weird so now I make one batch pour it in the pan and then wash the bowl and make another batch, I also add my wets first then my dries so you don't have mix at the box of the bowl unmixed 
It's more time consuming to make them seperate but it's helpful. I'd make one batch pour into the pan around the flower nail or heating cone, mix up another batch fill that pan the rest of the way to 1/2 or how ever full you want it, add the rest to the next pan and mix up the 3rd batch. It's a little more time consuming yes but it's easier in the long run that way you make sure it's mixing up properly and getting where it needs to get.
I have this thought that ok these 3 eggs are supposed to mix with this cup of flour cup of sugar and so on and these 3 eggs are to mix with this cup of.... and so on and if those 3 eggs mix with the wrong stuff and the other three mix with the wrong stuff like 3 eggs to all flour and 3 eggs to all sugar I have a feeling in the back of my mind it's not going to work lol I'm OCD bad lol so it has to be perfect for me lol.
Just to give my 2 pence, that is way to many eggs, even in the original recipe.
I've been a scratch baker all of my life, and learnt basic cake mixes over 10 years ago, when I was 13. The basic rule of thumb is 60g of each ingredient (sugar/butter/flour) per egg. This works out at the perfect proportions, and you should always work to this. Stick to this and you'll get a perfect cake everytime.
Also, your method seemed a little off to me. You should always cream the sugar and butter together, then add the eggs a little at a time (mixing not folding, the egg will just clump together). Then, once all of the egg and flavourings are in you lightly fold in the flour.
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