I am a newbie and I am at a loss! I made a birthday cake for a young lady this weekend. I used the WASC recipe posted on CC. The customer returned the cake saying it was not baked completely. I used 8X3 and baked it for over an hour. I actually thought that it was overbaked. To make matters worse, my husband takes a slice of the cake and states that it is not very good either. I have made this cake for family and friends and they all love the cake. I follow the recipe off of my sheet to the letter each time. I review before combining the ingredients to ensure that I have not forgotten anything. I don't know what to do. I need a good cake recipe; firm enough to carve, yet tastey!!!!

have you always baked it in a 3" pan? that makes a difference if you have baked in the 2" before. I'm surprised it held up when you iced it if it wasn't done

Yes and no. This is the second cake I have made in this pan, but normally I use a 2". I am trying to get a higher cake. The WASC cake recipe is calls for a lot of water, I wonder if it is just to much.


Kakeladi's *Original* WASC recipe

1 box cake mix*
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
generous dash salt

3 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream*
1 to 1&1/3 cup water*
1 Tablespoon flavoring*
*See notes at end

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredietns; a wire whisk helps.
In KA mixer bowl, place remaining ingredients. Add about 1/2 the dry ingred. Mix on low about 30 seconds; add remaining ingred and again mix on low about 30 seconds until all is moistened. Beat on med (#4 or 5) for 2 minutes. I always timed this.
Pour into prepared pans and bake as usual

*Notes:
I always use large eggs. Any cake flavor can be used. Match the flavoring to the cake. For most cakes a mixture of 1 part vanilla, 1/2 part butter flavor and 1/4 part almond is perfect. A 'part' is any measure you want to use be it teaspoon, Tablespoon; cup; quart or whatever
I make this up by the cupful and keep on hand for all my flavoring.
Some people have told me they have sub'd yogurt for the sour cream; some have used juice instead of water. I use a glass Pyrex measuring cup & fill it to the brim (more than one cup - maybe about 1&1/3?).
This makes enough batter for: one 12" round; OR 9x13 pan OR two 8" rounds; OR three 6" rounds OR one 10" sq OR other pans I can't think of right now -- the same amound of batter as if you used 1& 1/2 mixes.
Baking time will depend on the size pan you use. Start with 30 minutes. Let your nose be the judge If you can smell it most likely it is done. If it pulls away form the pan it is overbaked.

I use the other WASC recipe that calls for egg whites instead of whole eggs. I replace the almond extract with rum extract and it's been great every time. The only time I didn't like it was when I used almond extract.

That's basically the recipe I use except I use 4 egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs. I had it go bad one time because I used a little too much salt. I didn't like it. From then on, I didn't put any salt in it.

I also use a #7 rose nail in the middle. What temp did you bake it? I know the recipe I use says 325 but I've also baked it at 350 which i think works better for me.

I second what stephaniescakenj said. I use the recipe with whites instead of whole eggs, and use various other extracts but not the almond usually unless someone specifically asks for almond. I ALWAYS get stellar results with this recipe. Was it only underdone in the middle? did it dome a lot? I was having a problem with the middle being a little underdone & domed at first, but some home made bake even strips helped a lot.

I make this recipe all the time, in fact it is the recipe I use all the time, when I use the chocolate cake mix it bakes nicely. When I do a white /lemon recipe I have to bake it much longer, whether I use a 2" or a 3" pan. I sometimes add 1/2 an hour, and I use rose nails also. I have the oven at 3:35 degrees or so, just a little lower than 3:50....
I have thrown out a few cakes because they were raw....it is something that I have to watch....

I just tried this recipe this weekend and used whites not whole eggs and it got raves from my family. Will be using it again next weekend as well.

I also use the strips, and lower the amount of water, by 1/3 cup...

with the 3" pan it helps to use a heating core so it can bake from the inside as well as the outside. This will help the center from being not cooked or undercooked. I use my heating core in any cakes 8 x 3 or larger.

What? No oil?? Is that right?? The water amount sounds fine to me though, but no oil is strange to me-you should at least put 2 T in for that amount of cake and flour/sugar.

Here's what I do to get a taller cake with the 2" pans. I fill mine 3/4 full. It will sometimes go above the cake pan. Then, when it comes out of the oven, I take it and "tump" it over on a wax paper lines cookie sheet and set something heavy on top and let it cool. This makes a great level cake without having to cut anything off!!! Works every time. Always fill more in your cake pan. My layers are always so tall that I keep thinking about putting in less!!!

I am getting ready to bake a cake in the Wilton Long Loaf Pan, which is 16x4x4. Should I use a heat core for this size? I don't think I have one, but I do have a flower nail.

Thanks!

I use whole eggs in my recipe (i hate seperating eggs) or sometimes i just buy the liquid egg whites. But I would use 4 whole eggs instead of 3 and it comes out fine all the time and tastes great. I didn't see any oil in the recipe you posted???

Did you by any chance use DH? I know they had a bad batch of cake mix come out where people said they weren't rising right.

I know when I make this recipe, I use less water too, and I use whole eggs. Turns out perfect everytime. an hour doesnt sound long enough though if you are using an non convection oven, if you baked it at 325. In my convection oven at 325 it takes 55 minutes. In my regular oven, it takes an hour and 15 minutes (325)

I use self rising flour in this formula and ditch the extra salt & stuff. I like the extra leavening in the flour. But still I like to bake at 350 or 375.

But as for your husband saying it didn't taste right--it does sound like perhaps a bad cake mix which as someone wise has already mentioned there has been a bad batch of DH out there recently. Because even an underbaked cake should taste fine.

shirl,
I wouldn't let it make you upset, I was crushed the first time (well its the only time) I was told that my cake wasn't a good one. We all have our moments. keep your chin up I am sure it was the cake mix, those darn things....

Sorry about your cake.

I have had trouble with the 3" high pans in the past, too. I find that you have to bake longer with the 3" and also when you doctor a cake mix you have to bake longer, too.

I will keep my WASC in the oven sometimes for an hour and a half for it to be done all the way through. I use the flower nails in the center.

One way I keep a check on the "doneness" of my cakes is that instead of baking 2 cakes, I bake one cake 3" high and torte it in the middle to fill it. That way I can always have a peek inside the cake to see what's going on and make sure it's baked all the way through.

Keep at it, this has happened to all of us...

I've made WASC and several variations of it, and it has always been delicious. I usually bake in 9x2" rounds, and they always take oveer an hour to bake at 325. So my guess is that maybe you did slightly undercook.

If this sat for a day or two with a "pudding-like" underbaked center, it could contribute to an "off" flavor.

Or you forgot an ingredient - even with double checking we have all done this a time or two.

Or you had a bad ingredient going in (cake mix, sour cream, a bad egg).

But I don't think it's the recipe.

I find three inch pans and WASC to be tricky. OP stated the cake was said to be underdone and, I admit, I have gone to torte the cake thinking it was baked through only to find that the very center is denser and wetter looking that the outer core. I have learned over time that if I bake at 335 with strips and a heating core it bakes solid in the center. It takes up to 90 minutes even at that. Over time, I have come to prefer using two inch pans and torting for additional height with this particular recipe. As well, I've used both versions and don't find much difference in either other than using the egg whites is a pain unless I have a carton of "Whites Only" in the fridge. : )

I have found with the WASC recipe, I have better luck baking at 350 than 325. It almost always sinks in the middle baked at 325 versus 350. Then Center never seems to cook and the outer edges are very done.

When DO you put the rose nail in? Before baking? Upside down? Doesn't it fall over and sink in to the batter? Been meaning to ask this, and someone's post in this thread reminded me. Never done this before, but think it might help me for doneness as well.

Does anybody else use the toothpick method to check for doneness? I keep a jar with toothpicks in it on my stove. As far as I know I have never had a cake not be done using that method. No matter if I use the bake-even strips or nails, I always double check with the toothpick. If it comes out clean it is done.

I just sold all of my 3" pans. They take forever to bake and I hate using heating cores.

I only use the WASC recipe, modifying it to suit several different cake flavors. I get so many wonderful compliments about my cakes I wouldn't think of using anything else. http://www.recipezaar.com/69630

One gal refused to even try one I made at first because her experience with other fondant covered covered cakes was that the cake had to be dense and she has never liked one because of the texture. But when she finally gave in and tried the cake I brought to the party after hearing everyone elses comments, she was astounded (I don't mean to sound like I have a big head ).

So don't worry about looking for another recipe. Like you I tried several before I found this perfect combination of denseness for carving and moistness for the palatte.

It probably was undercooked as I have undercooked a couple before (but I caught it while torting and re-baked them). The WASC recipe does take longer to bake then you would think.

Sorry this happened to you! There will be more learning experiences as we travel this road in a cake business, but any increase in knowledge is good, no matter how devasting the reason.

I like that Ace of Cakes shows many of their own mistakes, it's always makes me feel better

I used the WASC recipe for the first time last week-end when I did a cake for a baby shower. I also used 3" pans and did a stacked cake. The cake baked for an hour and appeared totally done when I removed it from the oven. It also appeared done when I torted and filled it. However, the bottom tier collapsed in transit causing the top tier to slide backwards. Upon cutting the cake it appeared the middle was a little "doughy". I was ready to never use this recipe again until reading everyone else's comments. Thanks.