Baking Troubleshooting

By Stephanie H. (Guest Post)

Can you tell me why my cookies come out more like cake then chewy or crunchy cookies?

By Kathy B (Guest Post)

Help. A cake that I have been making for years now seems to be fully cooked & fluffy. But when I take it out to cool within minutes it falls? What can I do?
Thanks.

By jennifer (Guest Post)

I found a delicious carrot cake recipe that, first run, was excellent. Subsequent attempts, however, have left a lot to be desired. Mostly the middle sinks in, which ruins the aesthetics of the cake. Any advice?

By rachel (Guest Post)

Hi, I've recently been trying my hand at baking cakes from scratch. Each time I've done it, even with different cakes, the cakes aren't 'fluffy' -they're always flat & always taste great, but are really dense & this last one (red velvet) was even on the slightly creamy side (after you put it in your mouth and give it a few bites). I am following the recipes to the letter -and- am testing for doneness with my toothpicks (they're always clean & the tops of the cakes even look 'golden' & ready) -- what am I doing or not doing? -should I whip all my egg whites separately every time & fold them in for every recipe? (even if it doesn't mention this process at all?) -I've read that on several cake recipes I've come across online & since I've never done it before, maybe -that's- the issue? Any ideas and/or suggestions? -thanks!

By Leigh Ann (Guest Post)

I'd agree that you need to check your oven temp. However, you won't be disappointed in a stone either. I'm a P C consultant and I'd be happy to set you up with a stone. babe61531 @ yahoo.com (remove spaces)

By Lissette (Guest Post)

Yeah sounds like oven running hot. Mine is like that. Got a thermometer and I go by that and not the temp on the dial.

By

badwater

Check your heating element.

By Jo Larson from Denver, CO (Guest Post)

It sounds like your oven needs to be calibrated. This is generally not something you can do yourself, you'll need to have it looked at professionally. In the meantime the best thing I can recommend is to get yourself a baking stone. A stone will distribute the heat more evenly throughout the food. If your oven is extremely off, you may need to adjust the temperature setting up or down by 25 degrees to get a satisfactory result. Just experiment a bit. The investment for a baking stone is around $30.00 but can be used for so many things and will help a lot until you can get your oven repaired. I bought mine from The Pampered Chef home cooking party plan and I love it! They have a web site you can order through if you don't already know a Pampered Chef consultant.

I would be inclined to think that your oven heating temps are off. You could purchase an oven thermometer to check and there are ways to adjust these settings (if you have your booklet to your oven, it may have the directions in there to do this)