Layer Cakes Rising Higher Than the Pan
Feb 07, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
GUY QUESTION
Hi rose! I love your book.
The issue I'm having is that in your Book The Cake Bible, you say to use 9 inch x 1 1/2 inch round pans for making the All Occasion Downey Yellow Butter Cake. I followed your instructions to the letter. The layers rose above the tops of the cake pans. Did I do something wrong? Should I just be using the 9x2 inch pans instead?
Thank you!
ROSE REPLY
It's okay if layer cakes rise a little above the sides of the pan as the structure can still support it. The real indication is if the finished height after unmolding is the same as I specified. The batter may be a little too much for the 1 1/2" high pan but it is not enough for the 2 inch high pans.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Kamala
11/21/2011 04:27 PM
kamala, the word is recipe and 2/3 means that you multiply each ingredient in the recipe by 0.66.
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Kamala in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
11/21/2011 04:21 PM
What does that mean do 2/3 the receipt?
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tim
10/02/2010 12:46 PM
I made a cake, had one egg short, added an egg substituute, a bit corn starch and banana, and my cake didn't rise; any idea as to why?
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Rose in reply to comment from Vera
05/25/2010 03:14 PM
i gave you the exact amount to use for that particular pan. if you want to generalize you may run into trouble for ex. a larger pan doesn't use less baking powder, it uses less baking powder PROPORTIONATELY. you will see the exact difference in amounts in the wedding cake section of the cake bible.
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Vera in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/25/2010 03:10 PM
thanks for your reply!
so use less better in the bigger pan?
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Rose in reply to comment from Vera
05/25/2010 03:06 PM
use the pan(s) that are closest in volume but don't use a 3" high pan unless it has a center tube.
you could do 2/3 the recipe in a 9 x 2" pan but use only 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder as you need a little less for the deeper pans (normally 2/3 the recipe would be 2.6 teaspoon baking powder)
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Vera
05/19/2010 08:24 AM
Rose you are an inspiration.
I am a new baker.
I have egg yolks left from 2 white cakes and want to make your Golden Downey Cake. I have 2- 9x2 and 1- 8x3, a small bundt cake pan, a 9x13, a small angel food cake pan, a full sheet cake, 2 "6x4" ovals and a 9 inch tart pan.
If I don't wish to buy a set of 9 x 1.5 inch pan, which one would be the best.
Thanks!
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Barbara
04/10/2009 04:45 PM
Emily,
I think if you multiply everything in the recipe by 4/3 (1.3333) it should work. Or, you can do 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake the extra batter as cupcakes.
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Roxanne Rieske
04/06/2009 12:09 AM
Emily,
Look for 8x2 inch pans then instead of the 9inch. I bake most of the butter cakes in the book in 8x2 inch pans. They rise just slightly taller than the pans, but they always come out well. 8x2 inch is better than 9x2 for these cakes. Since the 8x2 inch cakes are taller, I split them in half, so you end up with either two 2-layer cakes or one 3-layer cake (save the extra split layer for cake crumbs).
You will for sure find 8x2 inch pans. I don't like the dark non-stick coated pans. They form thick, hard crusts that are unappealing for layer cakes. I find my favorite heavy-duty plain aluminum pans at restaurant supply stores.
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Emily Phillips
04/05/2009 03:05 PM
Dear Rose,
I want to make the All American Chocolate Butter cake, but I am finding it difficult to find 9" x 1 1/2" pans. I have read on this blog that the 2" pan may be to high for this cake and that you were making a revision on how to adjust the batter for the pans currently on the market. Can you please help me with this adjustment being that my grandson has requested this cake for his birthday which is in the next couple days. Thanks so much for your help!
Emily
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Rozanne
01/28/2008 09:32 AM
Linda, read this thread.
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2005/11/rounded_vs_flat_cake_layers.html
There is a lot of info on cupcakes on it. Good luck.
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Linda
01/28/2008 06:56 AM
I am making a lot of cupcake and normally they are fantastic but just recently they have started to rise like small volcano's in the middle..does anyone have any suggestions.
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Rozanne
11/24/2007 09:51 PM
Katie, have you checked your oven temperature? Use an oven thermometer to check its accuracy. Also try making your cakes using Rose's method for mixing. Consider getting the Cake Bible, it's a great investment! Do you weigh the ingredients? It's more accurate than measuring.
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Katie
11/24/2007 02:19 PM
Ok, I am having serious problems with my cakes rising. From pound cake to coffee cakes, nothing rises. I'm using new leaving and cake flour. Creaming the butter and sugar properly. I am following the recipes to the letter and still I have sad cakes. Open to suggestions, please!
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Silvia Williams
06/04/2007 01:23 PM
Sorry, I should have said that I do grease and flour the cake pan bottoms, only, generously.
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Silvia Williams
06/04/2007 01:21 PM
To the baker whose cakes rise and fall, I never grease the sides of my cake pans. I have found that my cakes slide down after they have risen if I put grease on the sides of my pans. After they are done, I run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan (after they have cooled in the pan) to loosen them and out they pop.
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Theresa
03/30/2007 08:48 AM
Rose, thank you SO MUCH for answering my question. I do have the Cake Bible (and also the Pie and Pastry Bible). I happen to like this recipe for a spur of the moment quick kind of white cake, though, because I don't have to separate any eggs! Of course, I'd like it better if it worked right - now I'll use your great suggestions and I'll bet it will! And then it WILL be your recipe! :) Thanks again and I am looking forward to your new book.
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Rose
03/30/2007 12:13 AM
p.s. also as you suggested 350F is best!
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Rose
03/30/2007 12:11 AM
theresa, i'm glad you called my attention to this as i did indeed do most of the recipe for the swans down 100th anniversary book many years ago. it seems they've forgotten to credit me with the recipes on their site. i've written to them and trust they will remedy the situation.
the one to which you referred, however, is not my recipe. you can always tell because the sugar i use is half the volume of the flour. they did borrow my technique for the recipe as you so aptly noticed!
comparing this cake to my cake in the cake bible, aside from the fact that it has too much sugar, it also has a little too much milk. the excess sugar would weaken it making it collapse. also, for the same size pans it is only about 3/4 the recipe. if you don't have my book, you could just mutliply everything by 1.25 but leave the milk and sugar the same!
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Rose
03/29/2007 11:30 PM
rose mary--i hate to say it but my recipe for pineapple up side down cake in the cake bible always works. but you said your recipe worked in the past so i have to wonder if by mistake you are using self rising flour in addition to the leavening. you must be doing something different if it worked before and is now overflowing the pan.
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Theresa
03/26/2007 12:13 PM
One more thing, the oven temp called for is 375 F; Rose says in her book that she prefers 350 for most cakes. Could this be a factor? My oven is accurate. Thanks again!
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Theresa
03/26/2007 12:09 PM
Hello, bloggers! I am having a problem with a recipe from the Swans Down website. It's for the "Happy Day Cake." This is a simple, two-layer white cake with 2 1/2 cups of flour, 2 eggs, 2 sticks of butter and 1 TBS of baking powder (here is the link if you want to see the recipe: http://www.luzianne.com/recipe_details.cfm?RecipeID=104&Category=Swans%20Down%20Cake%20Flour&RecipeList=99,103,108,106,107,93,96,104,95,98,109,97,91,257,101,94,144,105,110&). I have baked it many times and the layers always come out low. This time, I changed a few of my techniques (used Land O Lakes butter instead of my usual special butter from Maine, and didn't oversoften it - used the mixer to soften it - thank you, Baking 911! - before proceeding with the rest of the recipe exactly as written.) I weighed the flour based on Rose's weights in the Cake Bible. The technique used in the recipe appears to be Rose's. (It's probably one of her recipes.) I looked in on the baking cake shortly before it was due to be done and was thrilled -- the layers had risen all the way to the top of the pan and were even doming a tiny bit higher. I had cake strips on it so it was still fairly level. A couple of minutes later when I checked it, it was done, but had sunk back to the usual 1 inch or so layers. Do you think there is too much baking powder in the recipe, or is it just supposed to be a fairly low cake? I'd be interested to hear what some of you think. Thanks!
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Rose Mary
03/25/2007 02:02 PM
I have recently made two pineapple upside-down cakes from a tried and true recipe that I've used for years. Both time the cakes overflowed the pans during the baking process. Not only was the oven floor a mess after the first time (I used a sheet pan under the second), but the cakes did not cook through properly. Any tips on preventing this in the future would be welcome.
Thank you.
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Rose
08/06/2006 09:02 AM
i believe you are referring to one of my most popular recipes from "the pie and pastry bible" called "the brownie puddle tart." my best brownie recipe is baked in a tart pan and after baking you make little holes with a wooden spoon handle or chopstick and pour in little 'puddles' of ganache.
you can use this same recipe to bake without the puddles in an 8 inch square pan and the sides are even with the center.
if, however, you have a recipe that you like and the sides are rising more than the center, you can either eliminate the baking powder if any or wrap the edges of the pan with moistened cake strips to slow down the baking at the edges.
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Anonymous
08/05/2006 02:14 PM
What is a brownie puddle? My real question however, is how do I bake brownies (from scratch) and not have them rise higher around the edges. Can this be done?
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Rose
04/14/2006 08:03 AM
theresa, you've reminded me that i still have my very first kitchen aid, the 4.5 quart with tilt back head, in the crawl space of our country house. it's close to 40 years old!
you'll love the brownie puddle--seems to be everyone's favorite--well, alongside the peanut butter mousse tart!
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Rose
04/11/2006 09:40 AM
i'm almost sure i addressed this on the blog so pls do a search. but since this event is coming up so soon, i'll give you a quick tip (i have only a few minutes of internet access from here). flared pans are may not have the same volume and the sloped sides hard to frost evenly. i'd get the 2 inch high pans and either increase the recipe by 1 1/3 or decrease it by 2/3 and bake one layer and divide it into two.
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Margaret
04/10/2006 06:41 PM
I have been making birthday cakes for my parents and I like to make the chocolate butter and all american yellow butter cake. I will be heading home in a couple days to celebrate their 84th and 82nd birthdays. I have not been able to find straight-sided 9" x 1 1/2" pans (only flared ones and the 2" depth pans which are too tall). Where can I find the straight 1 1/2" pans?
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Theresa
04/10/2006 08:28 AM
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I did end up refrigerating the ganache after several hours. I then left it out for several hours on "frosting day" and gave it a few seconds in the microwave, per your instructions in the book. It was excellent and SO easy. I hadn't found a chocolate frosting recipe I was satisfied with ... until now! BTW - I will be receiving a new mixer (KitchenAid) for my wedding anniversary in the summer - I know I will enjoy it, but I hate to give up my pal from younger days - may keep it around for mashing potatoes ...
I'm really enjoying the books! Next up is the Brownie Puddle tart, the pound cakes, the Pecan tart, the chocolate, pecan & caramel mini-tarts (can't remember the name off the top of my head) and maybe I'll try a pie again for the second time in 20 years!! :)
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Rose
04/08/2006 09:51 PM
theresa--i've been travelling for weeks now and leaving again tomorrow. sorry it has taken so long.
re the ganache,i hope you didn't refrigerate it as then you'd have to soften again to use as frosting.
re the cake, i'm wondering if your pans are not quite the right size. pour water in to check. the batter should definitely fill at least half full. if not, do try beating at a higher speed.
if the cakes are rising unevenly, most probably is the oven rack.
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Theresa
03/29/2006 11:38 AM
Hi, Rose. I know you've probably been too busy to answer my lengthy question yet, but thought I'd add another one in the same place and maybe you could give me both answers at once if you have a chance. :) I am planning to make the chocolate ganache tonight (for the first time) to use tomorrow. Your instructions call for leaving it to cool for several hours to frosting consistency before using. Since I am not going to frost the cake tonight, can I skip the several hours cooling phase and put it immediately in the refrigerator? Thanks so much for your help. I do appreciate having a "friend" in the kitchen!
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Theresa
03/27/2006 11:37 AM
Hi, Rose. I am enjoying your first two "bibles," which I recently purchased after initially checking out the Pie & Pastry Bible from the library. I love your explanations of what is happening, and the impact of different ingredients. My question is about cakes. My cakes never seem to rise as high in the pans as I expect. My most recent attempt (my first from the Cake Bible) was the All American Chocolate Butter Cake. The batter tasted WONDERFUL (haven't tasted the finished cake yet - froze the layers to frost on Friday) but as usual it looked rather small after baking. My thinking is that the possibilities are: (1) Oven temperature, although I bought a GE oven - 7 years ago - because I heard how accurate they are. I will retest with an oven thermometer, though. (2) My mixer is a Sunbeam 12-speed stand mixer which I bought in 1985(!). I had it serviced about 5 years ago, but maybe it's just not doing the job any more? I thought about trying it at a higher speed than medium but didn't want to ruin the cake. Do you think that's worth trying? For what it's worth, the batter looked right, but it didn't reach halfway up the pan sides - more like a third of the way or a little more. (3) Maybe my technique is off, though I do follow the instructions as carefully as I can. I am ordering the Magi-Cake strips so maybe in the future my cakes will be level even if they're low. They often rise slightly unevenly if that's another clue for you, but it might just be that the stove isn't completely level. (I put a pocket level on it yesterday but couldn't determine if this was the case - different spots showed different things.) Sorry this is so long! I would REALLY appreciate your thoughts.
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Rose
03/26/2006 12:00 PM
you'll need to experiment: deeper recepticals require less leavening or they will dip in the center. 6 cup bowls are slightly smaller than a 9 x 1 1/2 inch pan. don't fill more than 2/3 full at most.
do let us know how it comes out!
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Jo-Ann Clott
03/26/2006 11:48 AM
Hi Rose,
I would like to make the All Occasion Downey Yellow Butter Cake or White Velvet Butter Cake for my daughter's birthday. Will I be successful baking them in 1 1/2 quart (pyrex) bowls. I need to bake them in these for a specific cake design.
Thanks!
Jo-Ann
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