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Mine sunked in the middle too! HELP please

post #1 of 11
10/15/09 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
Help! Im having trouble getting cake to turn out right. I tried the WASC recipe with a dark chocolate fudge cake mix and added 3 Tbls. of cocoa because I didnt want the extra flour/sugar to take away from chocolate taste. Pan was 11 x 15 with instructions for 11 cups of batter. The WASC recipe says the amount is equal to 1½ box mixes so I figured it would be enough it only made 7 cups. Luckily I had another box of mix do I made it up and added 4 more cups to pan. Pan was sprayed with Pam baking spray with flour with waxed paper lined bottom, baking strips around pan and 2 flower nails. Baked at 325 until cake test done. It was almost overflowing the sides! I was excited until I took out of oven and saw valleys in the top of cake. The edges were high and fine, but the top of cake had like 2 valleys (sunken areas)! I made cupcakes with the leftover cake mixture and the cupcakes came out with high sides and sunken middles. What did I do wrong? Will cupcakes be OK with decorative frosting? I taste tested the cupcakes and it was delicious!

Also, after thawing cake do I need to put the ceramic tile (like a floor tile) on cake? When before/after filling and crumb coat? How long? Wont it smush cake and make it thinner? I need all the advice I can get. TIA!
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post #2 of 11
10/15/09 at 8:46am
1 box mix makes about 5 cups therefore 1 1/2 box mixes would be about 7 1/2 cups, so the recipe is correct. You would have needed to double the WASC recipe to get the batter that you needed.

Did you mix the WASC batter and the mix batter together or just pour the mix batter on top? If you just poured it on top, that may be the reason for your "valleys". The two mixtures are of different densities, so they are going to bake at different rates.

Was the cake cooked thoroughly? Did the toothpick come out clean when checked? If so, it should be fine when leveled. The cupcakes should be fine once decorated.

I can't answer your questions regarding freezing and ceramic tiles because I don't freeze cakes. I will leave those to the next reader.

HTH
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
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Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
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post #3 of 11
10/15/09 at 9:14am
Thread Starter 
Lees_luv, after I made up the 2nd batch, I poured the first batch back into the mixing bowl to mix the 2 together. had to empty, wash and dry baking pan and prepare all over again. Yes, tootpick test was clear in several places! I was so tired and frustrated. this was after working all day, having a one hour drive home, getting home at 7:00 and beginning. I'm praying my decorating comes out fine this weekend. For GD 2nd BD party on Sunday
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post #4 of 11
10/15/09 at 9:32am
Hmmm, did you use a metal pan or silicon? What temp did you bake at?

I think that your cake and cupcakes should be fine once decorated. You should be able to level the cake and be done with the "valleys" that were created.

Good luck!!
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
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Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
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post #5 of 11
10/15/09 at 9:33am
Don't know why you had the "sunken" spots, but do know that when I make the 11x15 WASC I have to double the recipe. This usually makes more than needed and end up having a fair amount taken off when I level it, but then that's more for my family. I also use the baking strips and 2 flower nails. Did you use flower nails? maybe the center took longer to cook and opening the oven before it's done has caused the problem. I had this happen once and it was with chocolate WASC as well. Now i just don't open the oven until I'm pretty sure it's almost done. HTH
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post #6 of 11
10/15/09 at 10:03am
Thread Starter 
I baked at 325 and used baking strips AND 2 nails. Maybe I did open the oven door too early to check and that caused the valleys. Was I right in adding cocoa to the choc cake mix and WASC? icon_confused.gif
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post #7 of 11
10/16/09 at 7:29am
When I make a chocolate version of WASC, I add cocoa as well. I have used hot chocolate mix in a pinch. Just try again. I think it will be fine.
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post #8 of 11
10/17/09 at 8:27am
I no longer use the toothpick test anymore with my cakes. I have found that testing them too early with a toothpick seems to interrupt the baking process for me, it's almost like it lets air escape and will cause it to sink. I only use the finger press test now, it's quicker and you don't have the oven door open as long, you also don't have to move the pan, which I have found that too much jiggling of the pan seems to interrupt the baking process as well.

When you use the finger press test, just lightly press on the middle of the cake with your finger, it is done when you no longer hear the sound of cake pressing down (hope that makes since, it's kind of like a crunching sound), and it springs back up. You have to be careful though, because it can get overbaked as well if the cake is really springy.

Also, cakes will rise up higher as they bake and come back down some as it gets finished, so it sounds like the cake may have been undercooked.

I'm also a flower nail fanatic. in an 11x15 cake, I would use 7 flower nails. 3 along the middle, even spaced apart, and then 2 between the middle of the pan and edge of the pan wiht them spaced through the middle of the 3 (hope that make sense)
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post #9 of 11
10/21/09 at 10:12am
Thread Starter 
thank you all! icon_smile.gif After I torted and turned over the layers, frosted, decorated it was fine (see my new post of how my FBCT failed). Everyone raved about the taste. I have to admit it was the best, moistest cake I've ever baked! I will always use the cake extender (correct) with my mixes. Also, as the filling I used the Hunt's pudding in the 6-pack from the grocery store in vanilla and everyone said it was awesome.

thanks again thumbs_up.gif
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post #10 of 11
10/21/09 at 2:19pm
I've never made the chocolate WASC, but all my other WASC attempts used to sink in the middle too. I started adding one whole egg in addition to the other eggs the recipe calls for and haven't had a problem since.
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post #11 of 11
10/30/09 at 10:40pm
I never had a cake sink on me until yesterday night - doctored white cake with just 3/4 cup orange juice added to it instead of water. I was shocked - has never happened before this. Next time I might try orange cake again but with a yellow cake mix (white was probably too delicate for the orange juice...I hope this is the problem anyways)
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