Baking A Cake?

Decorating By alicia_froedge Updated 3 Apr 2006 , 3:51pm by junebuggey

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alicia_froedge Posted 3 Apr 2006 , 2:17pm
post #1 of 5

I am a newbie at cake decorating but I also want to work on the taste of the cakes. I have been using 2 DH mixes and cooking for 1 1/2 hours at 250 degrees. This is what a cake instructor told me to do to get an even cake? How much mix do I use for round cakes like a 6", 8" and 10"? And how long do you cook these and at what tempature? And is a normal round cake 2" or 4" high? or 3"? Can anyone give me tips on baking, making cakes level, and better tasting cakes? I am going to experiment this weekend on round cakes with a filling inside.

4 replies
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sweet_honesty Posted 3 Apr 2006 , 2:35pm
post #2 of 5

From my limited knowledge 250 deg. is too low a temperature to bake a cake at. 325-350 is the range i susally operate in. I'm not too sure how cake mixes go in terms of quantities. The height of your cake depends on personal preference. 2" is pretty flat ... too flat to me. A 3" or 4" is pretty average. To level your cakes if you don't have a leveller get a large serrated edged knife and carefully slice off the dome....trying to keep your hand level. To torte the cake again if you dont have a leveller, get a few toothpicks and stick them into the sides of the cake at the height you desire and use them as a guide for the knife when youre slicing through to get a flat surface. Before you put in your filling make a dam of buttercream on the bottom layer about 1/2 inch from the edge. Use a piping bag with just a coupler and no tip and just pipe out a "sausage " of icing to make the dam to stop your filling oozing out.
Good luck with the experimenting and most of all have fun!

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KHalstead Posted 3 Apr 2006 , 2:42pm
post #3 of 5

I always fill my cake pans 2/3 of the way full........for the 9 and 10" cakes I usually use one cake mix with the extender recipe found on this site and it's perfect....Then I put my flower nail upside down in the middle of the cake...this really reduces the dome you usually get on a cake....and then when the cake comes out of the oven...I take my cooling rack and put it right over top of the cake (which has baked up slightly above the rim of the cake pan) and push down on the cooling rack making the cake flush with the edges of the cake pan and usually hold it for a minute or so, then remove, allow the cake to cool for about five min. or os...and then flip out onto cooling rack and then flip it over again so the bottom of the cake is down ( I find it doesn't stick to the cooling rack this way) oh and I usually bake at 325....and I find using the flower nail actually cuts down on the baking time....I baked a 12x18" cake with two cake mixes using the flower nail and it only took 40 min. and was perfect!!! As for making the cakes taste better....I automatically add a package of pudding (dry) and one extra egg...swap out the water for milk and add a teaspoon of vanilla....and sometimes butter flavoring for yellow cakes.

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MariaLovesCakes Posted 3 Apr 2006 , 2:44pm
post #4 of 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by alicia_froedge

I am a newbie at cake decorating but I also want to work on the taste of the cakes. I have been using 2 DH mixes and cooking for 1 1/2 hours at 250 degrees. This is what a cake instructor told me to do to get an even cake? How much mix do I use for round cakes like a 6", 8" and 10"? And how long do you cook these and at what tempature? And is a normal round cake 2" or 4" high? or 3"? Can anyone give me tips on baking, making cakes level, and better tasting cakes? I am going to experiment this weekend on round cakes with a filling inside.




I have been told and have read that 250 degrees is too low to bake cake.

You should bake at 325 or 350. Some people have used different techniques for baking:

1. Baking Strips
2. Flower nails
3. Pan with water (like water bath) on lower rack in oven
4. As soon as taking cake from oven placing a towel over it to keep the steam in, etc.

I just bake at 350, try not to overbeat or underbeat.

I had some tips about pushing some of the mix in the middle slightly outward to keep from getting a mound in the middle. Haven't tried but will soon.

I am scratch cake baker, but Duncan Hines is my favorite after trying all cake mixes. I always add the extra egg and one box of matching flavor instant pudding to make it richer and more firm.

Good luck!

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junebuggey Posted 3 Apr 2006 , 3:51pm
post #5 of 5

Okay, I've been doing cakes since I was 16 and never heard of a cake baked at 250 degrees. I bake cakes at 325 when they are large.


To keep a cake even, keep the sides cool as it bakes and make sure the temperature reaches the center. The sides are kept cooler by wrapping them with the bake even strips or towels strips. Soak the strips in cold water and remove the extra water before placing around the pan. I run the wet strips between my fingers as I do not want to wring them dry. Wrap the outsides of the pan and pin in place.

The cake pan is greased and I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to assure the top of the cake does not get stuck. Since you are making a large cake because you are using 2 mixes, take your flower nail and grease it up. Place it in the center of the pan with the nail part up.

Pour your batter into the pan and around the nail. Fill to 2/3 full. I tap the pan on the counter to get the trapped air bubbles to rise to the surface. Let the cake sit while you preheat your oven to 325 F (about 10 min). Before placing in oven, I pop the visible bubbles with a clean toothpick.

Set your timer for 1 hour. Check after an hour with a toothpick. If it comes out clean it is done. If not keep checking every 5 minutes until it is does. Remove from the oven and let it set a few minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool. Dont't forget to take out your flower nail from the center!

As for other size pans, DH used to print directions from Wilton as to how to bake on the inside of the mix box. Not all of the boxes seem to have this info so I am attaching a copy. Also I use the nail trick on rounds over 8" and from 9 X 13, up.

Happy Baking!
Junebuggey

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