Need Cake Baking Advice

[Arcana]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with some cake advice. Several months ago I made a white cake from scratch and the recipe called for the whole egg instead of just the whites. I cooked it in my clear, glass pan in my so called "oven" lol and it came out way to heavy. I absolutely adore heavy cake but this was TOO heavy. My oven is an overgrown toaster oven with two burners on top which is very common in Bulgaria and works fine for most things but I'm wondering if there is an adjustment in the temperature and baking time I should make due to the oven and glass pan. My oven is about 15" long and 12" tall.

 

[Debbie]

hmm would have to look at the recipe.. can u post it?

 

[Arcana]

Cake recipe

This isn't the one I made that came out heavy but it's one that I want to make so it's more important lol. This is a pineapple upsidedown cake which is a bit different from the one I made but I definitely don't want it to come out heavy.

 

[Arcana]

Recipes

LOL silly me, I forgot to paste the recipe. I found the one I made that came out heavy. Here it is:
2/3 c butter
1 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 vanilla
3 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c milk
Bake at 350 for 30-33 mins in 9x13 pan (my pan is oval but the same size)

Here is the pineapple upsidedown cake recipe that I want to make now
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. cake flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 can pineapple slices in syrup
Bake at 375 for 30-35 mins

 

[Swann]

You have me stumped!HOWEVER The recipes look normal. In #1 recipe you might try half or all cake flour. Your flour may be high protein and high gluten that is best for breads. I assume that you cream your butter and sugar and eggs well before folding in dry ingred. alt. with milk. Flour can make a very big difference and flour varies in different areas/countries of the world.

 

[mish]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with some cake advice. Several months ago I made a white cake from scratch and the recipe called for the whole egg instead of just the whites. I cooked it in my clear, glass pan in my so called "oven" lol and it came out way to heavy. I absolutely adore heavy cake but this was TOO heavy. My oven is an overgrown toaster oven with two burners on top which is very common in Bulgaria and works fine for most things but I'm wondering if there is an adjustment in the temperature and baking time I should make due to the oven and glass pan. My oven is about 15" long and 12" tall.

Hi Arcana. I seem to recall a post long ago re a similar oven and adapting recipes. Did the oven come with a manual or recipes? If not, perhaps you can get one from the manufacturer. Cake/baking can be tricky in the best of circumstances - proper pans, temp, etc. Hope someone has an answer.

 

[Timeloyd]

Your first recepie reminds me of a cookie recepie except for the milk. I think you should have used more liquids.

Basic Cookie Recepie

! Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 tbs Baking Soda
2 tbs Baking Powder or more if cutting back on Baking Soda.
Add Choc Chips, Oatmeal, etc.

To the cake recepie try adding 1/3 cup oil in place of the butter and adding 2 1/2 Cups soda pop, cold cocoa, or other liquid to it instead of 1 1/2 Cup milk. More liquid should make it lighter.
If you use a flour made from nuts like Acorns can also mqake it heavier. I think you may need more liquid.

 

[Timeloyd]

Your first recepie reminds me of a cookie recepie except for the milk. I think you should have used more liquids.

Basic Cookie Recepie

1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 tbs Baking Soda
2 tbs Baking Powder or more if cutting back on Baking Soda.
Add Choc Chips, Oatmeal, etc.

To the cake recepie try adding 1/3 cup oil in place of the butter and adding 2 1/2 Cups soda pop, cold cocoa, or other liquid to it instead of 1 1/2 Cup milk. More liquid should make it lighter.
If you use a flour made from nuts like Acorns can also mqake it heavier. I think you may need more liquid.

 

[Arcana]

Cake Flour

Thanks for all the tips everyone
Swann, you probably have a very valid point about the flour. Making bread is a big deal here so maybe I should get some cake flour but, if I do, do I need to lower the amount of baking powder? And if so, how much?

 

[Swann]

Thanks for all the tips everyone
Swann, you probably have a very valid point about the flour. Making bread is a big deal here so maybe I should get some cake flour but, if I do, do I need to lower the amount of baking powder? And if so, how much?

No you do not need to change the amt of baking powder. You could add 1/4 tsp of baking soda to the cake. I know that European flour is very different so when I make spatzle I mix high protein flour with all purpose flour and semolina for the right texture. Pie crust here I mix half cake flour with all purpose to lower the protein.... it is best made with soft wheat flour. I buy bread flour of hard winter wheat.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for all the tips everyone
Swann, you probably have a very valid point about the flour. Making bread is a big deal here so maybe I should get some cake flour but, if I do, do I need to lower the amount of baking powder? And if so, how much?

If you use cake flour in place of some or all of the usual flour,you will have to reduce the amount of liquid. Cake (low protein) flour absorbs less liquid than a higher protein flour.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm with Andy. Some other useful and essential tips for your cake baking.
1. You must sift the flour to incorporate more air into the batter.
2. If anything, increase the amount of baking powder by any where from 1/2 to 1 tsp.
3. Using butter is fine, as long as it is melted before adding to the batter. But oil will work just as well, albeit with less flavor.
4. Try seperating the egg, mixing the yolk into the batter, then beating the white to a froth and foling it in, again to add more air into the batter.
5. An extra tbs. of oil or melted butter will give the cake more moisture and a better mouth fee;.
6. Use a double acting baking powder.
7. If adding any acidic ingredients to your cake batter, i.e. citrus, pineapple, etc., ballance the batter by adding 1/2 tsp. baking soda.

These tips will help your cake rise properly, relusting in a moist and tasty cake.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[philso]

i'm going to take minor exception to a point each from andy and goodweed.

- since it's a cake recipe, the original recipe is probably intended to be made with either all-purpose or cake flour, so there shouldn't be any need to adjust the ratio. if you've been using bread flour, that would certainly make the cake heavy and quite chewy, especially if you're beating it a lot. but, i'd try the original recipe with a.p. or cake flour first, before further adjusting the flour/liquid ratio.

- if you're chiefly interested in reducing the heavyness, increasing the fat content is not the usual road. adding another tablespoon or two of butter will almost certainly make it taste better, but it will also increase the heavyness.

also:
- you didn't include the directions for the recipe, and how you proceed will make big differences in your final results. this looks like a typical two-bowl recipe, so here's the usual procedure:
1- cream the butter (not melted) and the sugar well
2- beat in the eggs at this point i'd follow goodweeds suggestion to use the yolks only, reserving the whites for later. add the vanilla.
3- thoroughly sift the dry ingredients. 3 times is best. the baking powder amount sounds small, so again goodweeds suggestion up increase the amount sounds about right. since you'll be beating the egg whites later, the first time around i'd stick with another 1/2 teaspoon, and if it's still too heavy use a whole teaspoon the next time.
4- alternate sifting in the dry ingredients with adding the milk.
5- whip up the whites and fold them in last. if you do this before, you'll end up beating a lot of the bubbles out.

one last observation is that if your oval pan is the same 9" x 13" size as the rectangular pan called for, the actual area will be a lot less, so the depth of the batter may be significantly higher. this will affect the baking time and heavyness as well. you may want to reduce the temperature by just a little, but increase the time a bit too.