Hi everyone,
I feel like crying. I have baked 5 cakes so far and only one hasn't flopped! I seem to have undercooked all the others trying to make them nice and moist. I have cake nbr 6 in the oven now and I am scared that I will probably end up overcooking it now!
I know everyone can have an off week, but I just feel like I have wasted so many ingredients and am starting to doubt my ability.
I am trying to decide if I should go and buy some chocolate? (for me not the cakes).
Sorry to sound like a sook, but I feel really down, needed to vent.
I tried telling my nbr 1 supporter (my dad) and he just quoted the magazine BRW "... women entrepreneurs, are they more emotional than men..yes " and this did not exactly cheer me up!
Thought I would tell someone sympathetic, so here I am!

Just near the end of cooking time knife or skewer in on touch top of sponge to see if it bounces back it happens to us all/ I have a big wedding cake to deliver saturday and my car has decided to stop........Do not worry too much life is too short

I feel your pain. Sometimes, the harder I try, the worse I get. If I decide that "screw it, I'm just going to have fun with the cake (or cookie)," it works out better. Is it possible your oven temp. is off?

You're baking early! yawn...


Good luck!

kos

Thanks for your support!
I did the skewer test, but it is hard to tell with mud cakes because they are so dense and high sugar content.
I am baking at night time here in Australia.
You know I do think it may be my oven, I will check the thermometer that I keep in there!
Thanks guys, I knew you would understand!

Suggestion:
One reason mud cakes sink in the middle is from being cooked in the incorrect cake pan. There is too much mixture for the pan used, so when cooked in accordance to the instructions in the recipe, the centre is not being cooked through - it will collapse when it goes cold. It is very important to use the correct cake pans and follow the correct cooking time.

I can only think that I undercooked them, as I have made this exact same white mud cake in the same pan with the same mixture and everything and it has never been a problem before. I even checked my oven temperature and it was accurate, so I don't know if I will find a reason for it having occured. I haven't baked since, had no orders and it kindof dented my confidence. But I have to bake again this week, so I will try other cake types first and see how they go.

Just noticed that you are in Brisbane - having lived there myself, I ask: has it been humid recently? could the flour have more "moisture" in it's content that usual?

You could try a heating core or the upside-down flower nail to achieve a more uniform heat.

Boy, I sympathize. Every cake I have baked recently has risen way above the pan, even though I fill them less than 2/3 full. Also, they have taken longer to cook and I have had to watch them closely. So tonight, I filled my pans 1/2 full and, while they look to be cooked fine, they didn't rise as high as I would have liked (high enough for me to level them by pressing down on them while still warm). Not as tragic as your problem but frustrating just the same.