I made a choc cake mix (2) and added 1 packet of pudding and an extra egg, also replaced oil with butter. Baked it in 11X15 pan on 325 for 40 mins (that's what the pan's instructions said to do) anyway at 40 mins, I started to pull the rack out to check it, and was still very jiggly in the middle, so I went 5 mins more. Still jiggly, but edges looked like they were browning too much. Turned oven down 5 degrees to 320 and baked 5 mins more. pulled rack out and toothpic was still not clean....5 mins more and finally looks done in middle. I pulled it out and it sunk and cratered while it cooled.
What caused this? Is it because I affected the temp by opening the door before it was done? Or b/c I moved it before it was done? It's still cooling, so I haven't cut in to it yet to see if it's just ruined or not.
Also, thankfully this is just a practice cake, but if you're doing a cake for someone else and the cake sinks, do you bake a new one or trim that one and decorate?
Also, when you take the cake out of the pan to cool, do you cool it upside down or right side up? Is this too many questions? I just get frustrated when something like this happens!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

You might try inverting 1 or 2 flower nails in the pan the next time. They help distribute the heat a little more evenly in large cakes.

when baking and 11x15 i use 2 flower nails to get some heat distributed through to the center of the cake...i've never had that happen

Thanks! I was going to buy some of those "heat strips" I keep hearing about, but I'll try that first!
If I was doing this cake for someone else, would I have had to bake a new one?

My oven has gotten funky on me so I can't bake at 325 anymore. Well depending on the cake recipe. I bake from scratch though, so the factors are different.

Still, when you altered your recipe, had you done that before and got good results?

320 is too low for baking. Even if your corners where getting too brown, 320 is too low.

Um, check your oven temp to make sure it is still okay. Sometimes with time, it gets out of whack a bit and you need to check the temp to make sure it still the same.

Try the flower nails as suggested too, to see if it works for you. I haven't used the flower nails for this size pan and didn't sink on me. But it is worth a try.

I guess I would first look at changing the ingredients. I always follow the pkg. directions. I have never substituted butter for the oil. Maybe that is the problem.

MariaLovesCakes, I've never altered the recipe like that before. I wanted to try something new. I'll check the temp varience of my oven, but it's just barely 1 year old, so if it's off then that sucker's goin back! lol I'll definately not lower my temp below 325 anymore--thanks for that tip. Also, I bet by opening the door every 5 mins during the last 20 mins didn't help much either! duh to me. I just didn't think by adding pudding and an egg would make it have to cook that much longer!
I hope it at least tastes good!

Get an oven thermometer, use flower nails and let that sucker bake, bake bake! The changes you made wouldn't have caused the problems you had. It's just that it wasn't done. (Ask me how I know this tid bit! ) You just have to learn to get a feel for the size of your cakes and how long it takes for them to get done. I find it's usually longer than the instructions.

I'll get an oven therm. while I'm out tomorrow -plan on trying the "white velvet" recipe. Hopefully I'll get some work from my neighbors after this weekend. I plan on sharing my end results--If they turn out! not going well so far! I'll definately use all of this help. I love CC and all of you!

OK! this is ridiculous! I'm on here chatting away, and my 3 year old has been up to the counter taking small chunks out of my cake!! She's definately her momma's girl when it comes to cake, but I've got to get her to quit getting into it until I say she can have it! She can totally climb the baby gate now so that's not an option!
Again, I'm so glad this is just a practice cake!

I've learned my own lessons dealing with jiggly cakes LOL. I NEVER follow pan instructions for how long to bake, they are horribly inaccurate. Through personal experience I've also learned that my oven seems to do best at 335. In any case, if you open the oven and the cake is very jiggly (mostly liquid) in the middle you need to leave it in for another 10-15 minutes before checking. Then, instead of opening the door all the way, just open it a crack and shut it enough to shake the oven a little and see if it's still jiggly. If it is jiggly then you've saved your cake from going through a big temperature change. If it's not jiggly then you can toothpick test. When you open the oven every 5 minutes for the next 20+ minutes your oven is never going to stay hot enough.

A couple of other things I thought of-if you do have edges that are a bit crusty, once the cake is cool wrap it in plastic wrap overnight and presto crusty edges soft! And for a doctored recipe I usually test the cake to see if it springs back with lightly touched to tell if it's done.

I've had this same experience when my cake doesn't seem to cook in the middle. What has worked for me is the heating core. I've never tried the flower nails but will try it next time.

Good Luck!

The flower nails work great-just grease and flour them. For a large cake use 2-3. And they don't take a chunk of cake with them when you remove them!

I agree with Dodibug about the flower nails. I learned that trick here at CC. Since I started using them, I have had no problems with uncooked middles. I use a flower nail in 10" or larger pans.

I've never used a flower nail on a sheet pan but it's worth a try. Here are some other things based on my experience:

When you're adding things to the mix, always start by adding 10 minutes to the cook time

Dont open the oven door too frequently

Adjusting the oven temperature DOWN won't help

The toothpick has to be CLEAN or it's probably going to sink

Bake-even strips are terrific but then you should probably bake at 350

Keep trying and always have enough extra ingredients to do it again

I used to have the same problem and here is what I did: a) even though I have a new stove, I bought a NON-DIGITAL thermostat because these new inventions with digital thermostats don't always work properly. I found out the oven temperature is off a bit. b) Don't forget the flower nails OR buya heat core (which by the way-are not cheap). c) Place a pan with water at the bottom of the oven to create some moisture throughout it. c) Place a big cookie sheet on the rack THEN place the pans in it, by doing this the heat will be distributed evenly throughout the pans. d) If your cake is still baking more around the edges but not in the center: cover it with either a piece of aluminum foil or tear a brown paper bag and cover it. I guarantee you that your cake will bake even and not burn. On the other hand, you can doctor a cake mix just as you did - I do it like that myself. But I learned through trial/experimenting and messing up cakes! I hope this advise will help. Good luck! Oh anothe thing when a cake is done, it will SPRING BACK when you touch it - if the finger mark stays on it your cake is not done yet so cover it again. Sometimes the toothpick test is not accurate, instead I insert the tip of a knife when it comes out dry the cake is ready.

Thanks everyone! I just got back from the store and bought the wilton 3" round pan set for my first practice wedding cake. I bought a couple flower nails and thanks so much for the tip on grease/flouring them!!!! I probably would've just stuck them in there! Can't wait to see how they come out.
By the way, I ended up cutting up the 11X15 choc cake into 6 semi-squares torted to make 4 3 layer square cakes. The choc frosting recipe is delicious! but it melts pretty quickly when doing the basketweave pattern. Had to keep putting it back in the fridge to cool off. I ended up only doing 2 of them with the basketweave and the other 2 just normally frosted--I was running out of frosting fast! The cake tasted good too! Thank goodness. Luckily, my daughter only poked it on one side towards the center so that peice turned into quality control. So I have 3 small cakes to share with the neighbors. Hope they like them!

could someone specify as to how are the flower nails to be inserted into the cake

Girlu, I greased them up just like the pan (I use "cake release"), and just put them on the bottom of the pan (nail sticking up) in the middle (if large pan and using 2 nails--spread them out. Pour your batter in the pan around the nails. They might shift slightly, just slide them back where you want them. When you pull the cake out and flip it over, they will be right there. Just pull them out.

When turning your cake over to flip out and taking the nails out, has anyone ever had any problems flipping their cakes over while the nails are still in them? I have used them twice and when I flip my cakes over, I am still a little worried that I will end up messing the cake up. I usually place a plate over the cake and then flip. The cake nails are longer than the height of the pan.

This may sound like a dumb question, but I am curious if I am the only one that seems to have a problem with flipping it out, lol.

I don't usually...most of the time my cake has risen to beyond the tip of the nail. I rack the top of the cake to flip it, which exposes the bottom and I can just pull the nail out. Careful though - that nail is HOT!!!

Set a wire rack over the cake to flip it out of the pan and just have the nail poking through one of the holes in the rack.

That is what I do since I use Ateco nails that are really long for baking.

Thank you !!! I never thought about using a baking rack. I know I have one somewhere in the back of the unseen side of the cabinets. When I'm looking back there, who knows what else I'll find that I've forgotten about.

I feel like I am having one of those moments where I wonder "why didn't I think of that", LOL.

I always turn my cakes over onto a wire rack for cooling. When you use the flower nails, they just poke through one of the holes in the rack. I let the cake cool for about 5-10 minutes and then pry the flower nails out with the tip of a steak knife to remove them. They are very hot when they first come out of the oven so don't try to pull them out with your fingers, you may get burned.

I take mine out with a butter knife. The first time I did this, as I was taking it out, it slipped off the knife and I went to grab it with my other hand! HOTTTT!!! Duh!

Anyway, I've even been using these on my 9X13 cakes, and it makes a huge diff!!! Love the flower nails!!

I agree with couturiere. If you are baking a cake larger than 10 inches, there's no way for the heat to bake the middle of the cake without help...hence...the flowernails. I had that happen only once to me.

Since using the flowernails, I haven't had that happen again, even when I doctored the cake mix.

When I go to take the nail out of the cake, I use tongs. Just slide one side under the head of the nail, close the tongs, lift.....no problems, no slipping

Wonder if you could also use the scissor-style flower lifter to get it out......

If the flower lifter you are talking about is the plastic one, I wouldn't try it....plastic and extreme heat don't work too well together, but I've never tried it.

Anyone else, who maybe has tried this?