I just got done baking a cake for the first time with a rose nail and the outside is hard and the inside gooey! YUCK. It also still domed up the same as without it. I will never try that again.
Back to the kitchen,
Susie

That's very odd. I bake with one all the time and have never had that problem. At what temperature was your oven set? Hard edges and gooey middle makes it sound like it was way too high. Have you ever checked your oven with a thermometer to be sure it was correct? This same type of trouble is what led me to use the rose nail. I finally called in a service man for the stove and come to find out it was cooking about 40 degrees too hot! I knew it was hotter, but 40 degrees!?!

The last resort you can try are the bake even strips. I wouldn't buy any for the longest time. I now bang my head thinking of all the cakes I would not have had to level if I'd have had them.

I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm surprised and puzzled as well. That is the very thing that the nail usually helps avoid.

I bake at 350°. I always have with great success. My oven is right on. I just got a new thermometer a few weeks ago to be sure.
I used a cake mix with extender and I have used it before and it was fine. The only thing I can figure is that it was the nail.
I've got another cake in the oven now without one. I sure hope this works. It is suppose to get really, really hot here in northern NY and I won't be doing another if this doesn't work right.
Thanks girls,
Susie

The extender usually makes a thicker batter. You might want to try baking it at 325 for a longer period of time.

That is strange. I havent had that happen to me. I don't see why the flower nail would cause that. Could you have accidentally made a mistake with the recipe or done something else differently?

I've used the flower nail as a conductor for a very long time and never had these results... I always bake at 350 for the set amount of time, and I start checking it about 5 minutes before it is supposed to be done... It always turns out great...

Yep, same here...I use it all the time with no problems. I also bake at 325' for longer. I don't think the nail completely gets rid of the dome, but it def. minimizes it. Just a quick trim off the top and its all set. Try again, I bet it was a fluke.

My suggestion also would be to bake at 325 if you are using the extender for a bigger cake. That's what I do and I don't even use the nail in the middle.

Diane

I concur, I use the nail all the time and works great for me. I think you may be baking a little too high. Try reducing the temperature.

Hope it works out for you,
Cynita

When you say rose nail do you mean the one we use to make flowers in the Wilton courses? How do you bake with a rose nail? What are you guys even talking about!? I am very confused as you can see!

Deborah

Yes - the flower nail was one of the best tips I read on this site! Especially for my bigger cakes. I use the nail, bake strips and 325 for longer...

(I started baking at lower temps as a rule anyway b/c my OLD oven usually ran around 50 degrees too hot...it was an apartment stove and it was before I started baking for family and friends, so it was just MY cakes/cookies that got ruined ... then I found this site, and realized that many of you recommend that for "perfect" cakes anyway!!! )

Hope you figure out the problem - don't give up yet!!! Good Luck!!!!



Lish

Yes it's the Wilton flower making rose nail. You spray it with non-stick stuff just like the pan, and place it in the center (more then one is needed for larger cakes I use 3 down the center for sheet pans) and add your batter, make sure they're in the center still, and bake at normal temp for the pan and amount of batter. (I follow the guide on Wilton's site for batter amount/temp/time.)

I've read all the replies and will consider all of them. You are all the best.
Well, the second cake came out a bit ago and it is 'ok' but just a tad gooey on the top. The sides were starting to get hard so I thought I had better remove it.
I think it will be ok because it continued to bake as it cooled. You know what I mean?
I used that same recipe a few weeks ago and it was fine. Instead of the normal time I had to bake it 50 minutes. Because I believe in the bakers here I am going to lower the temp to 325° and check it and be prepared to bake it a little longer.
Thanks everyone,
Susie

Well, the second one was yucky too. Under baked in the center and over done on the edges. I bet it is because I really want to make this cake for my son and his gals rehearsal dinner we are putting on. LOL!
I made the THIRD cake using the 325° but it took 65 minutes. I think this one is a keeper. WHEW. Does it normally take that LONG?????????
Thanks,
Susie

What size is the cake? Many of my cakes take around an hour at 350, so I dont think that is strange for it to bake over an hour.

Ok the first try I used a boxed cake with the extender and baked at 350° for 50 minutes but the sides were getting overdone.
It is a puffed heart pan by Wilton. I find that if you use just a box it is really thin.
The second try the same but baked about five minutes longer......!
The third try I used 1 and 1/2 boxes of cake mix and dropped the temp to 325° for 65 minutes.
I know I have a lot to learn. I hope to get better in time.
Susie

I'm new to the rose nail as well as far as using it to bake so this may be a silly question but, do you spray the top flat surface and put it down in the center of the pan and then pour in the batter?

It can take anywhere from 45-75 minutes depending on the size of the cake pan... and the recipe too I guess... the longest it took for one of mine was 60 minutes with the 12" heart pan... Good luck with it I also find that the more nails you use the better/fast the center gets done... I use 3 in an 11x15" sheet and used 3 in the 12" heart pan....

Susies1955, it will take that long to cook a large/thick cake at 325. The rule is low and slow to get it done evenly. I'm glad your third cake turned out well.


Trance, I spray the whole nail, top, underside, and shaft and then put it in the middle of the pan.

Thank You SuHwa....I'm aboout to make a cake and thought I would give it a try!

I use the flower nail all of the time. It works great for me. I bake at 350 for smaller cakes for for larger ones I bake at 325. Hard edges and gooey insides sounds like the oven temp was too hot for what you were baking.

Debbie

I guess I figured that a cake mix takes 30 to 35 minutes at 350 so half again as much added shouldn't take too much longer but I guess I was wrong.
I am stubborn. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would bake three cakes in the same morning.

Thanks everyone,
Susie

Even though I use cake mixes I never follow their directions for temp and time I always follow Wilton's chart... for some reason lol.

Here's the chart I use.

http://www.wilton.com/cake/cakeprep/baking/times/party_2inch.cfm

Well now you'll have lots of cake balls to go around too! (at least that's what they all say around here after a semi-disaster) I'm a newbie too lol

I just bought a new Wilton muffin pan and it was kind of dark metal ~ I don't have a cake mix box to check, but I think those bake at lower temps? That would put you right on at 325 anyway.

Good luck!

Yes for dark/coated pan box mix suggests lowering the temp to 325* which I forgot to do on my last cake in one of Wilton's new dark non-stick pans and it browned the edges and bottom pretty good and made it shrink in all the way around lol. Was real mad! lol

Thanks Becky and Janet for the chart and for the encouragement.
I'm SO glad that I found this forum. What a bunch of "Beautiful Baker's"!
Janet, hope you have fun and enjoy the forum and your baking,
Susie

Well that explains why my mini cupcakes had such a hard top edge too! It was a scratch cake, so I didn't have the mix box to remind me! I baked at 350! If this hadn't come up I probably wouldn't have figured it out NEXT time either! Oh we live and learn! LOLOL!

Is the flower nail upside down or right side up? I am still confused about this. If it is put in upside down, how to you get it out when the cake is cooled?

Denise

The flat part of the nail sits on the bottom of the pan. When you flip your cake out of the pan you can just pull it out.