Why Does My Vanilla Cake Look Like This, No Matter

Baking By msrk2k17 Updated 20 Apr 2019 , 2:55pm by kakeladi

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msrk2k17 Posted 20 Apr 2019 , 7:30am
post #1 of 4

Can someone please explain me why my vanilla cake, infact my chocolate cake too, turn out to be like this? I have tried millions of recipes but they all turn out like this. No air bubbles, I insert a toothpick it comes out clean but when I transfer it to a cooling rack it start to discolour from yellow to more like it's  undercooked. I use a gas oven for baking. Please help me. 

Thanks in advance!Why Does My Vanilla Cake Look Like This, No Matter

3 replies
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MerMadeBakedGoods Posted 20 Apr 2019 , 12:46pm
post #2 of 4

This might help? Also - Kakeladi and others on this site swear by baking your cake at 300 for half the time and then bumping up to 325 for the rest...I have to say - it works pretty well!!


Many recipes tell you to stick a cake tester, skewer, or toothpick into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. This is a useful test, but it’s not the sole indicator. Sometimes oil-based cakes or quickbreads produce a clean tester before the batter is fully cooked. This is why I also recommend using your finger to tap lightly in the center of the cake. It should feel firm and lightly springy to the touch. If the batter sticks to your finger or doesn’t produce a bit of resistance, it’s not done. 

Another way to tell is color and surface texture. For white or yellow cakes, the surface should be uniformly golden brown all the way across, not just around the edges. Raw batter is shiny because of the butter or oil content; cooked batter is matte. If the edges are dark but the center is still pale and shiny (which happens sometimes if you use a dark pan, which conducts heat differently from a lighter-colored one), reduce the oven temperature by 25° and keep baking.

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-K8memphis Posted 20 Apr 2019 , 1:45pm
post #3 of 4

did the cake stick in the pan? it looks a little ripped

are you mixing it at some point for two minutes on at least a speed of 4?  like before egg whites or at the end—

i do the opposite temperature thing — I start at 350 because this is the temperature baking powder is designed for — then at the end of the bake I start turning down the temperature —

and I set a loose foil tent over it  — crease the foil down the middle, spray with spray fat and rest that side on top of the pan — the residual heat in the pan completes the baking — but there’s no wrong way — everybody’s different— just  offering additional options 

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kakeladi Posted 20 Apr 2019 , 2:55pm
post #4 of 4

Are you baking scratch or mix?  What temp are you baking at?  It does look like the cake is a little under baked & it stuck to the pan   Hope these suggestions help some 

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