Baking 2 Cakes At The Same Time

Decorating By deemukozho Updated 23 Mar 2014 , 2:30pm by oftheeicing

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deemukozho Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 1:56pm
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AIs it possible to bake a small cake and a medium cake, or a medium and a large cake, or a large and a small cake at the same time (i.e. in the same oven at once)

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AZCouture Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:01pm
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AYes, or we'd be baking all day and our utility bills would be astronomical. I shove what I can, where it fits, keeping smaller pans towards the front, and rotating them out when done. Check for hot spots, obviously, and only you know how your oven behaves.

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deemukozho Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:11pm
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AThanks, AZCouture, was a little worried that if i do i would end up burning the smaller cakes.

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BeesKnees578 Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:16pm
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I don't know if it matters really, but if your oven is also convection, I think that helps because the air is being circulated, baking more evenly all around.

 

Mine is, so I use the conv multi bake feature, so I can use two racks at once.

 

We moved almost 4 mos ago from a house where we installed double convection ovens.  I miss it so much but have found that I can make do with one (for now).  But the first chance I get....

 

If your oven isn't convection, can you rotate the pans top to bottom without damaging the cake structure?  Does it even matter?

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:36pm
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Quote:

Originally Posted by AZCouture 

Yes, or we'd be baking all day and our utility bills would be astronomical. I shove what I can, where it fits, keeping smaller pans towards the front, and rotating them out when done. Check for hot spots, obviously, and only you know how your oven behaves.


Hmmm, I have always wanted to do this but was always worried about what would happen to the larger cakes when I took out a smaller one before it was cooked?  The first thing I was told about baking a cake when I was small is 'do not open your oven door until the cake is cooked' (I can almost sense the look of fear of a collapsing cake in the eyes of my mother while typing).  Is that a bit of an old wives tale?  Or does it only work for certain batters?  Sorry for the questions, but this would be a real breakthrough if I could do it!  At the moment, I bake each layer pretty much separately which I have always known was very inefficient but didn't think there was an alternative...

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AZCouture Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:42pm
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AOh are you one of those people who actually follow the baking times and suggested temperatures for recipes? That's so cute....lol. I'm just kidding with you, really. So yes, bake whatever you can fit in, and check when you smell cake, maybe also think about dropping to 325 for the temp as well...helps bake flatter, and less chance for crispy edges.

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 2:51pm
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Hehe, thanks.  I am :-D but starting to take them all with a pinch of salt tbh...I swear that every time I bake a cake, it takes a different time to be cooked through - it must be the caking poltergeist!  I've started to use bake even strips as well which seems to work well but play havoc with cooking times.  lol.  My other half's birthday is coming up this weekend so think I'll use him as a guinea pig...

 

I figured that larger cakeries would just put multiple cakes of the same size/type in an oven so they should take about the same time.  I've not been fortunate enough to have two people order the same dimensioned cake in a week yet so never got to try it ;-)

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MimiFix Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 3:28pm
post #8 of 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowflakebunny23 
 

The first thing I was told about baking a cake when I was small is 'do not open your oven door until the cake is cooked' ... Is that a bit of an old wives tale?  

 

It's a myth that refuses to die. Bake as much as you can fit into your oven and open the oven door whenever you need to check something. Just don't keep the door open long or too much heat will escape.

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BeesKnees578 Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 3:59pm
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Quote:

Originally Posted by MimiFix 
 

 

It's a myth that refuses to die. Bake as much as you can fit into your oven and open the oven door whenever you need to check something. Just don't keep the door open long or too much heat will escape.

Thanks, mimi!

 

I always tell my kids not to jump around the kitchen area, or slam the door that is basically behind the oven, around the corner, when it's baking, too!  I'm not making a souffle here!

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 4:25pm
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I have a sign that hangs off the oven door handle when baking which reads, "open me and face the spatula!".  Thus far, no one has dared ;-)

 

Do you find that to be the case with all cake types?  I could understand it being fine for a fudge cake or fruit cake, but does a really light victoria sponge (I think a light butter cake in the US?) hold up OK to door-openings too? Thanks again x

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as you wish Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 4:31pm
post #11 of 15

AI have 9" and 6" in there together right now. They seem to be getting along just fine! ;)

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Eachna Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 4:34pm
post #12 of 15

My imprecise understanding is that you *can* flatten a cake by opening the door to the oven too often...by repeatedly letting out the heat and interfering with the leavening (baking soda/baking powder).

 

But, there's a point where the cake has finished it's rising business (or at least most of it) and now is just cooking out the extra liquid and that's when it's okay to mess with it a bit. When I was younger and more impatient, I was taught I could open the oven door no more than 10 minutes before it was expected to be done. That's when I swap  pans between the higher and lower shelves if I need to, etc.

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Dayti Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 5:33pm
post #13 of 15

I agree you can bake all sorts of sizes and types and flavours together, I really cram the pans in my oven. Apart from not opening the oven until it smells like cake, and not leaving the door open too long, don't slam the oven door shut, close it gently so all the hot air doesn't woosh (?) out!

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oftheeicing Posted 26 Feb 2014 , 5:39pm
post #14 of 15

AI currently have a standard gas oven and bake what I can fit in on the two center racks with no issues at all.

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oftheeicing Posted 23 Mar 2014 , 2:30pm
post #15 of 15

AJust yesterday, I baked a half sheet, 2-8" and 2-6" rounds on the two center-most racks in my standard gas oven. Perfect results :-)

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