So, I made cake batter using the FromScratch vanilla cake recipe with whole eggs. I multiplied (by weight) to increase recipe by 30 percent. Used homemade cake release, lined bottoms and my pans are 8×3 Magic Line pans.
Baked at 350 for 35 minutes. Went to peek through oven window to find cake batter that looked super bubbly like frying oil and liquidy.
Anyone have any ideas on what I did wrong????]
I have made it multiple times... I love the recipe...
I have 1.5x, 2x, even 3x the recipe and it worked fine for me...
excessive bubbling sounds like maybe too much powder and soda though?
You did use cake flour and not self rising - correct?
I have never made it in a 3 inch deep pan though... so I am not sure how that would particularly affect it...
I also don't go poking into the oven until I can start to smell cake... so mine may do that, but I just don't notice...
How did it come out of the oven?
Thanks for replying.
I have had it go somewhat bubbly on me before, but this time it was really bad. Usually when I see those bubbles, I prepare to bake another cake because I know the texture is going to be like cornbread.
I increased everything by a third, which put the baking powder at 4.5 tsp. I left the baking soda the same. I used Purasnow cake flour.
I don't think it was my baking pans, but I didn't want to leave any info out lol.
I have tried a Betty Crocker recipe using that amount of baking powder and it flopped as well. I am just confused because increasing all other ingredients should allow for the baking powder to be increased. I'm thinking perhaps my baking powder is too fresh.
The cake came out with the texture of greasy cornbread and has an odd lumpy surface.
I am beginning to believe that when I do a small simple cake right after a big one, my mojo gets messed up. This is usually when I get cake flops.
Are all of your ingredients at room temperature? Is your batter smooth or does it look curdled at all? This sounds like the mixture didn't come together properly, usually a sign that ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, etc. are too cold to emulsify.
Yes, my ingredients were room temp. My butter is usually 65-68 degrees when I use it. But my batter always curdles when I use the two stage mixing method, no matter the recipe.
I baked the cake again without increasing the ingredients, same problem. Less bubbling, but still flopped. Totally sank in the middle. I'm stumped. All of my ingredients are fresh, room temp. Good pans. I thought it was the homemade pan release, but I put a super thin layer on and cake still flopped. It's also given me trouble when I used baker's spray. I give up.
are you using like around 4 cups of flour give or take? your formula is definitely off somewhere obviously -- if you want to post more specific information about the recipe and how you multiplied it -- but why not multiply the baking soda too? there's really no such thing as too fresh baking powder :)
you don't have enough flour in there -- how are you measuring your flour?
I use her recipe all the time and had this same thing happen to me only twice. The first time I did not measure everything by weight so it was operator error. The last time I overfilled my pan (I also use 3" high Magic Line) with batter (operator error again). I also find this cake bakes better at slighter lower temp and longer cooking - especially on larger size cakes (i've made 1/2 sheet cakes with it and used to have trouble with it falling in the middle but now I just bake at lower temp and longer time and don't open the oven). Check the dates on the soda and powder and also make sure you aren't packing those ingredients into the measuring spoon (I think that was part of my problem the first time) and I would def. increase the soda if you are increasing the powder. Only other thing I can think of is oven temperature being constant. Sorry this happened to you I know how it feels!
Quote by @-K8memphis on 7 hours ago
you don't have enough flour in there -- how are you measuring your flour?
I measure by weight. I bought a scale that goes to two digits after the decimal.
Quote by @-K8memphis on 7 hours ago
are you using like around 4 cups of flour give or take? your formula is definitely off somewhere obviously -- if you want to post more specific information about the recipe and how you multiplied it -- but why not multiply the baking soda too? there's really no such thing as too fresh baking powder :)
I can't post the recipe, because it is copyrighted and I agreed not to share when I purchased it.
By my calculations, I used 3 1/4 cups flour and 4.5 tsp baking powder. The baking soda I left alone because it's an odd amount and I didn't want to put too much. The multiplied baking soda amount would be 0.8 tsp. But even when I make the recipe exactly as written, I still have similar problems. I have successfully halved the recipe and the taste and texture were fabulous.
I try to buy new baking powder every month, so I am definitely a fan of fresh. I use the old baking powder to make self rising flour for chicken batter.
Quote by @cheriej on 3 hours ago
I use her recipe all the time and had this same thing happen to me only twice. The first time I did not measure everything by weight so it was operator error. The last time I overfilled my pan (I also use 3" high Magic Line) with batter (operator error again). I also find this cake bakes better at slighter lower temp and longer cooking - especially on larger size cakes (i've made 1/2 sheet cakes with it and used to have trouble with it falling in the middle but now I just bake at lower temp and longer time and don't open the oven). Check the dates on the soda and powder and also make sure you aren't packing those ingredients into the measuring spoon (I think that was part of my problem the first time) and I would def. increase the soda if you are increasing the powder. Only other thing I can think of is oven temperature being constant. Sorry this happened to you I know how it feels!
You know, I think I will try to bake at a lower temp. I know I'm packing the measuring spoons because I use containers with the little leveling edge built into the container, lol.
I just bought my oven eight months ago. I thought it would help fix this problem. But since I'm still having it, I'm stumped. I haven't tried baking the cake convection either, but since I should maybe lower the temp, perhaps I should try the convection bake option. I'll have to try again. At least if it fails, I get cake pop dough (good thing, because I have had a lot of requests for cake pops lately)
Compared to any cake recipe I've ever used, 3-1/4 cups flour to 4-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder plus some amount of baking soda is way too much leavening. I would think it would be more like 3 teaspoons of baking powder and no baking soda.
I would add a tablespoon or two of flour --
and just for the record on recipe copyrights -- the directions of a recipe are what's copyrighted -- the amounts of ingredients and list of ingredients are not copyrighted -- and besides you multiplied them out anyway -- no problem
Thank you all for your help! I'm currently working on reducing the leavening. I'm going to try all the suggestions until I get it to work. Wish me luck!
idk -- who would do that -- there are more than 10,000 great recipes out there -- needs no nothing -- makes me tired -- but go for it if that's what you want -- you paid like thirty bucks for this and you wanna tweak it -- idk --
best to you anyway 
Quote by @-K8memphis on 1 Apr 2018 , 4:57pm
idk -- who would do that -- there are more than 10,000 great recipes out there -- needs no nothing -- makes me tired -- but go for it if that's what you want -- you paid like thirty bucks for this and you wanna tweak it -- idk --
best to you anyway
I succeeded. After reading the Cake Bible (and using experience, obviously lol) I realized that the acidity of the buttermilk was not enough to require a little over 1/2 tsp baking soda in addition to 3.5 tsp baking powder. For recipes I have found and fidgeted with, I almost never put baking soda in addition to baking powder, even when I sub buttermilk for milk, and they usually work. So, I guess, you are right. I should have just used a different recipe (which I have been doing, actually, an awesome one at that) I did feel like I had wasted my money or was a complete dunce, one of the two. Everyone else was giving rave reviews and mine was flopping left and right. That's why I had to make this work. I guess at the very least I came up with my own version in the process lol. But when I was following the recipe and it wasn't working, I couldn't help myself. I HAD to make it work lol. I am always on the hunt for a better/different use version. Usually, I end up with it.....sometimes that means creating an different recipe lol.
oh thank you so much for the follow up -- and what good news that you solved the riddle and got peace -- maybe you could get your money back if you want -- idk
best to you
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