Every single cake i have baked over the last few days has turned out like the picture attached - testing done but with large gummy patches.
I am an experienced scratch baker and I'm using the same recipes that I've used for years, and flower nails in the centre. I don't understand why this is happening, but I'm running out of time & money to get these baked up properly!
The baking powder is new (and I've had the same happen with 2 different pots of bp), I've tried baking at a higher temp, lower temp, for longer etc etc etc - but still this result. I am about to cry. Any ideas what could be causing this or what I can do to solve it? Desperate now 
sorry, which picture?
I can't get it to attach to my post - which doesn't surprise me with this site these days.
sorry, which picture?
I can't get it to attach to my post - which doesn't surprise me with this site these days.
I know, it doesn't work...
Mike, are you from Holland? I bought some fondant from funcakes.nl - don't you know which brand do they use? (it's repacked under their name). Is it Regalice?
For the patches in the cake: check if your oven works properly and the heat is distributed evenly. If it's ok, think what changed from the last time the cake was ok. Maybe the ingredients did not blend perfectly, did you change the mixing time of your batter or use another mixer? Did you use different brand ingredients?
Nope, everything is identical to what I usually do. Nothing at all different.
Funcakes fondant - definitely NOT Regalice! Funcakes fondant is revolting, tastes really nasty and it is ridiculously hard and difficult to roll out. Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. My fondant of choice these days (since Regalice became so expensive), is PME - lovely stuff.
I would definitely check the oven temperature with a thermometer.
That stinks! I hate wasting ingredients...I hope you get it worked out.
Good luck!
One or two weeks ago I remember there was this thread with the photo attached:
'Help what do I do Sponge gone wrong!!
Hello sorry for the panicky post but Ive just gone to ice a 12 inch vanilla sponge and its all marbled inside with darker patches and Im not sure whats happened, its the first time Ive made a cake ...'
Unfortunately can't read it anymore, gives me error - page not found.
If nothing changed, the only possibility is the oven.
(
I agree completely with your opinion on funcakes fondant 
)
Check the oven.
If the thermostat is shot, your oven will not regulate temperature and will cycle on almost like pre-heat. That would account for it.
The problem is that you might not be able to tell unless you watch the oven temperature the whole time it is baking. Best bet, see if the neighbor will let you throw in a cake in theirs at the same time you put one in yours. This will rule out an ingredient problem.
This happened to me a couple of weeks ago, and then I got a call from an elderly man who was baking pound cake that he has been baking for the last 70 years and was complaining of the same thing! He wanted to know if I knew what he was doing wrong, and I gave him all the same suggestions everyone gave you here.
I hope it's not the oven, it's not very old (only a couple of years), and I have such a busy baking week ahead!
The vanilla cake I just pulled out is *ok*, it has a tiny bit of gumminess around the outer edges (1/8in or so), so an improvement.
It has been unseasonably hot & humid here over the last week, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
I had this happen to me when i was baking some samples in my small oven. I had to throw them out, and rebaked in my convection. I have a thermometer that beeps when it gets to the target temperature so i put it in the small oven and turned it on. I got to the target temp before it was done heating up, and had to turn the dial back 50 degrees to keep it there and then it cycled WAY up and WAY down the entire time. I was free, but I spent 4 hours cleaning it, so I am dissapointed I need to replace it!
I put an order in for a new oven. Hopefully should be with me for the weekend. It's a convection oven, I've never had one of those - isn't there a rule for them when baking (lower temp, shorter time or something?!)
I put an order in for a new oven. Hopefully should be with me for the weekend. It's a convection oven, I've never had one of those - isn't there a rule for them when baking (lower temp, shorter time or something?!)
I bake using a convection oven and mine has to be turned down 10 degrees compared to a "regular" oven. Most recipes I've used state if you have convection to turn it down 5-10 degrees. I bought a thermometer in the end to double check. I also find it is hotter at the bottom than the top!
Good luck with the new oven, nothing worse than when your regular recipes etc don't work due to the oven playing up
I have my convection turned down 50 degrees to keep all the batter from puffing out into the rack above. It is a commercial convection, though. You may have to play with it until you find the right temp, but then your golden. I love mine.
BTW, Congratulations 
Anyone owning an oven with a motherboard for regulation needs to check the temp every single time. And watch the variance (swing from high to low). They aren't like the old ovens with a thermostat, probably a spring type. These relays can go out and the temp can change with no rhyme or reason. The old ovens would just creep out of calibration.
Obviously, I'm speaking from experience. Bad experience. And a repeat situation.
I wrote a blog about this. Anyone interested, pm me.
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