Hollow mud Cake

Did you put foil on the first one that turned out okay?  The reason I ask is because you said the first one turned out okay.

I have never tried making one of these kind of cakes. Hopefully, someone else on the forum who has more expertise will be able to figure out what is going on with your cakes. Good luck!!/Mary
 

Hi Can you post your recipe and at what temp you are cooking, do you line your tin with baking paper and then use newspaper or bake even strips around the outside? 

It sounds to me like you are baking it too high a temp , to prevent the crust I put a piece of baking paper that exactly fits the tin on top of the cake before I start to bake.  I double  line my tin with a rather high collar of baking paper and I wrap newspaper around the outside of the tin to help the cake cook more evenly , I also sit the cake on a sheets of newspaper on a tray as well. 

I cook it in a slow oven about 160 celcius for about the first hour and then I reduce it  to 150 or 140 for the remainder of the cooking time , depending on how long it takes.  It can take up to three or more hours to cook a mud cake. You also have to let them cool in the tin at least overnight, I like mine to have three days on them before I even start to ganache and cover them . They need to "set Up " 

There was an error in that recipe in the Planet Cake book  .....  from memory I think it was TOO much sugar - which could account for your problems.

I'll try and dig it out and get back to you
 

Oh, boy, that sure IS too much sugar! All my scratch recipes have about half as much sugar (by volume) as flour - say a cup of sugar for two cups of flour. This one has twice as much sugar as flour, by weight, of course, but it still can't be right.

Try the recipe in my signature - it never fails!  You might need to triple the recipe for the same size tin now that people are wanting much higher cakes.

I always bake with homemade baking strips and a foil 'tent' cover - these things will add extra baking time too!

Make sure you leave to cool completely in the tin

Ahhhh Planet Cake recipe  , that explains it . 

I don't wet the newspaper , you bake at such a low temp it doesn't burn.  

Do try Pam's recipe , and do let the cake sit in the tin overnight to cool . Mudcakes are a whole different animal to buttercakes and sponges. However once you have mastered them you will realise just how easy they are.