Problem with Cake Mix
Feb 23, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
PEGGY QUESTION
I've made at least 500 rum cakes using a boxed cake mix, a fluted bundt pan and glaze. They are always turned out high, light and fluffy until recently. I have not changed oe thing.
Could it be my oven? Am I overbeating it or underbeating it? Thanks.
ROSE REPLY
Cake mixes are designed in order to have "tolerance".what this means is that you can add things to it, up to a point of course, under beat it slightly, overbeat it slightly, and it will still work. In all probability it is the cake mix that has changed. I encourage you to try baking from scratch. This gives you a lot more control over getting which you want in flavor and texture.
Print
Post/Read Comments (59)
Digg
de.licio.us
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Lawrence Holland
12/29/2010 09:57 AM
lawrence, the batter at the sides rises first and the center continues baking. that's why i created "rose's heavenly cake strips." put that in the search box for a full explanation. too little leavening or too high a protein flour also contributes to this problem.
REPLY
Lawrence Holland
12/27/2010 03:37 PM
I have a question. Why dose a cake rise to much in the center when baking? Is the heat too high?
.....Thank you
REPLY
Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from happyface
10/11/2010 02:53 PM
Not usually!
REPLY
happyface in reply to comment from jeff
10/11/2010 01:23 PM
Absolutely not! are u crazy??!!
REPLY
Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from jeff
07/30/2010 11:30 AM
jeff, having worked at proctor and gamble on their cake mixes years ago i know that they have a great deal of tolerance so i would guess that you could replace the whole eggs with egg whites using 1-1/2 whites (3 tablespoons/45 grams) per egg.
REPLY
Anonymous in reply to comment from jeff
07/29/2010 04:18 PM
No
REPLY
jeff
07/29/2010 02:41 PM
i have a yellow cake mix can i make white cupcakes with that mix?
REPLY
Matthew in reply to comment from raji
01/16/2010 10:44 PM
I'm sure that you could use light rum, but it won't have as much flavor as dark rum.
REPLY
raji
01/16/2010 09:26 PM
can we use white rum in fruit cake???how is it different from dark rum?
REPLY
karyn
05/02/2009 09:07 AM
I am baking cakes in a rather huge convection oven usually used for baking bread. I am having an awful time! The cakes are not fluffy they are heavy -dense and tend to fall in the middle. These are for a restarnt and need them to work. I know about lowering temp but Do I need to alter oil or eggs? I use a cake mix and add other flavors. Or is a gas oven the best?? Pleas HELP!
REPLY
s.sears
02/19/2009 07:36 PM
Just had a Bicardi rum cake fall when I took it out of the oven....should I beat it for only 2 minutes?
REPLY
Allison
02/19/2009 07:35 PM
I had the same thing happen to me. I don't know why but it was like a light switch - all of a sudden my rum cakes started shriveling up when they came out of the oven. I bought a new pan and like magic - problem fixed.
REPLY
S.Sears
02/19/2009 07:26 PM
....just had a Bicardi rum cake fall after coming outof the oven......should I beat it for only 2 minutes?
REPLY
Anonymous
06/16/2008 09:52 PM
HELP!
How do you make a box cake rise higher?
Thanks to all who respond :)
REPLY
Matthew
05/20/2008 11:22 AM
I also looked at your formula a bit, and it seems unusually low in fat, which helps keep cake tender--especially a cake with cocoa. What kind of cocoa are you using? If natural, you also have a lot of acids in the cake--coffee, buttermilk, and potentially cocoa, so the leavening might need some tweaking too. I think in all of Rose's cakes with cocoa, the flour is cut back to compensate--so you would have more sugar than flour--your formula is the opposite.
REPLY
Matthew
05/20/2008 11:13 AM
From what you describe, it sounds like your oven is too hot. Also, you don't specify what types of flour and sugar, but using cake flour and superfine sugar really does make a difference in the final texture of the cake.
REPLY
rod pierce
05/20/2008 10:43 AM
Dear Rose,
I am a professional chef and an 'alum' of that well known culinary school in Hyde Park (when it was in New Haven). I am a savory chef and like many of 'my kind' the world baking is a mysterious place in which we do not feel welcome.
However about five years ago, after recieving The Cake Bible, I started to think how hard can it really be, and this might be fun. Of the many things I love about the book is that the recipes include measure in weight in addition to volume. It is fast to get out the digital scale and assemble the 'meez'. Anyway, I am trying to make a recipe for a sheet cake work. The recipe is as follows; sugar 650gr, flour 700gr, cocoa 100gr, soda 12gr, cinnamon 6gr, buttermilk 250gr, olive oil 150gr, coffee 400gr, eggs 300gr, vanilla 8gr.
I bake the cake in a half sheet pan using a pan extender at 375 in a convection oven. The results are disapointing. The cake is delicious. The crumb is moist and firm. The problem is the cake domes highly, the top is cracked, and it is full of air holes. It seems that the cake does not rise at all where it touches the frame. Please help. I love the taste of this cake but as it is, it won't be served to customers.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Chef Rod pierce
Ps. I own your Bread Bible as well. It is equally wonderful.
REPLY
Stephania McBride
04/03/2008 11:41 PM
what happens if i make a cake without using oil, also we'll doing a spiritual cake bake at the church , i'm speaking on the oit. tell me what's the different between the spiritual oil, and the natural oil.
REPLY
Barbara A.
02/20/2008 10:22 PM
And a large egg WITHOUT the shell weighs 50 grams. I've got that one memorized!
I usually buy medium eggs because they are cheaper per ounce (at least in the brand I like). So I always weigh my eggs when baking. It really does help.
Two other problems I've encountered and want to warn you about. First, it turns out my liquid measuring cup was very inaccurate. When I thought I was adding exactly 1 cup of liquid, I was actually adding about 2 tablespoons more. That can make quite a difference!
(It's a "name brand," too - a standard Pyrex 1-cup measure. I've had it a long time.)
Also, I found out my oven temperature was off -- it was running cooler, so I'd think I was baking at 350 and only getting somewhere between 335 and 340. That can make a difference too.
Lots of things to check out, but now that I have corrected them, my baking turns out a whole lot better! Especially cakes. They are so "finicky" about these things!
REPLY
Patrincia
02/19/2008 11:37 PM
First I would suggest not using a pyrex pan to bake a cake - aluminum with a dull finish best (as opposed to a dark or shiny coating).
If you must bake in glass or a dark colored pan, lower you oven temp by 25F.
For best results, use the exact size eggs called for in the recipe. I believe eggs are no longer weighed individually, but rather the entire carton is filled first and then weighted. The "size" (sml, med, lg, x-lg) is determined once the total weight is known. Therefore it's very possible for a container of eggs to contain several different sizes. Picking the correct size for baking (large) can be tricky. This is a perfect reason to use a scale when baking - a large egg in it's shell should weight around 2 ounces or 56.7 grams.
REPLY
Joe Barber
02/19/2008 04:00 PM
Consistently recurring problem: boxed cake mixes result in a beautiful cake when it is removed from the oven - an hour later its shrunk 50%, is thick and heavy; or shrinking is not as severe but sometimes there is a thick heavy layer midway throughout the cake. I use jumbo eggs - instructions call for 3 large. I have always cooled the cake in the pyrex pan...
REPLY
Connie Walt
12/24/2007 01:46 PM
Need help. Making same cake recipe in bundt pan as long ago (new oven though). While baking it rises to the top and cooks through, but after I take it out and it is cooling, it shrinks to half the size. Is that oven temp or my old cast iron bundt pan? Thanks
REPLY
Rose
12/16/2007 08:14 PM
sounds like your oven is way off temperature and needs callibration.
REPLY
Jo
12/16/2007 07:09 PM
I just got a new KitchenAid electric range with a Convection oven. For years I had baked in a small Faberware Convestion oven and had fantastic results. Now my baking is terrible. My meats are tough. My cakes either fall apart or they are like glue. My pies almost always burn around the edge of the crust. I am getting paranoid about baking anything. Could someone please tell me what I am doing wrong. Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Jo
REPLY
Rose
12/10/2007 07:47 PM
that's the nature of a good fruit cake bc it means there's more fruit and nuts than batter. sprinkling it with rum will help hold it together.
REPLY
Marina Zechiel
12/10/2007 07:44 PM
I just bake a fruit cake and my cake was crumbly after I cut it. What was the problem?
REPLY
Rose
06/20/2007 01:21 PM
i just went by and spoke to the assistant mgr. as they only seemed to have the buttercream kits left. he said he would reorder right away. meantime, you can always get it from the coastal goods site.
REPLY
Rose
06/20/2007 09:09 AM
nigel (my mix master) says garden of eden carries them!
REPLY
Jennie Molinas
06/20/2007 08:32 AM
I am again having problems finding your Heavenly Cake Mixes in NYC. Any ideas as to where they are sold? The stores that had them before seem to be sold out. Thanks Jennie Molinas
REPLY
Patrincia
05/12/2007 03:51 PM
Grace - I've never made a tunnel of fudge cake, but I found this recipe by googling "tunnel of fudge pudding recipe". It was one of many hits that matched. Hope it's what you are looking for:
TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 sm. pkg. chocolate instant pudding
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
1 c. water
1 sm. pkg. chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients with spoon. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool; frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.
REPLY
Rose
05/12/2007 09:39 AM
i don't use cake mixes so you'll need to experiment on your own, contact the cake mix company, or hope that someone on this blog has tried this!
REPLY
grace stanton
05/11/2007 05:45 PM
I want to make Tunnel of Fudge Cake that calls for cake mix with pudding but can't find it much anymore. should i add pudding to the regular cake mix?
REPLY
Rose
04/01/2007 09:50 AM
if it's someone else's recipe the balanche of ingredients is wrong and you could try a little more leavening.
if it's my recipe, your measuring spoons may be slightly smaller than mine--they all vary.
in either case, wrap the pan with cake strips to slow down the baking at the edges. or turn down the oven 25 degrees--that also can help.
REPLY
Laura
04/01/2007 08:01 AM
My cakes rise up in the middle, but not at the sides. I follow the recipe. Why can this be ?
REPLY
Rose
03/29/2007 11:13 PM
your right patrincia. so lynn, turn the oven up 25 degrees-that should help to set it faster.
REPLY
Patrincia
03/25/2007 06:26 PM
Lynn,
Did you test the cake with a toothpick before you removed it from the oven? I had a cake sink in the middle like that one time - I didn't know why this happened until I cut into the cake and it was not quite done in the middle.
Patrincia
REPLY
Lynn
03/24/2007 06:42 PM
I baked a cake in my new gas oven (I have always used an electric oven before I got my new range) and it sunk in the middle. It was a scratch cake I have made many times in the past with success. Should I adjust the oven temp lower? Or higher? This is the second time I have had this problem.
REPLY
Rose
02/19/2007 11:37 PM
jennie, i think i misunderstood your first note. i thought you thought the kit was not a "scratch" cake. it's a proprietal mix designed to ensure that the home baker will succeed in making a perfect cake but it doesn't have any additives. it just includes all my favorite and best ingredients, carefully weighed.
REPLY
Jennie Molinas
02/19/2007 10:15 PM
I have successfully made your Rose's Heavenly Cake Mix-French Vanilla Cake. It is a truly outstanding cake! Do you have a scratch cake recipe for this type of cake in your collection? My husband said it was one of the best cakes he has ever had. Where can I find a scratch cake recipe in your books? thanks
REPLY
Angela
02/18/2007 01:39 PM
I love the recipies....
REPLY
Rose
02/17/2007 09:46 AM
yellow has a little more flavor.
REPLY
Rose
02/17/2007 08:13 AM
white is softer.
REPLY
Marsha
02/17/2007 07:01 AM
Other than the obvious, color, what is the difference between white and yellow? I have a recipe which calls for white but I have yellow at home already....
Thanks
REPLY
Rose
01/27/2007 01:00 PM
yes--you can chose to make a white cake mix instead of a yellow cake as cup cakes or layer cakes.
REPLY
pam n
01/27/2007 12:53 PM
Can a white cake mix be substituted for a yellow cake mix, and vice versa?
REPLY
Rose
01/18/2007 08:57 PM
cleo, you can make cupcake size cakes from most cakes but you do need to bake them less time--around 20-25 min.
barbara, the only thing i know about these commercial mixes is that unlike mine, they have emulsifiers and various chemicals that make it have more tolerance which means you can add all sorts of things and still have the cake come out. you could add banana, or milk instead of water--feel free to experiment (but not with my cake kit)!
REPLY
Barbara Gomon
01/18/2007 04:17 PM
I bake cakes at a School and they changed the cake mix. It is now made Only by adding water to the mix. Need to know what I can add to it to make more moist. They only let us order White & Swiss Chocolate.
REPLY
Cleo
01/18/2007 03:14 PM
Can I use cake recipe, mixed as directed, but make muffins, or do I need to change the proportions, as well as the baking time or temperature.
REPLY
Rose
12/25/2006 03:02 PM
if it's worked for you before it means something has changed--either in the ingredients or the technique.
REPLY
Allison
12/25/2006 02:16 PM
I too have recently had problems baking my rum cakes. I mix and bake them as I always have and when they come out of the oven and begin to cool, they shrink to 1/2 the size as they were cooking in the oven. Could this be because of not beating it for 4 minutes? Any help is greatly appreciated.
REPLY
Rose
12/20/2006 10:28 PM
there are microwave ovens that are also convection. convection is perfectly fine but NOT microwave.
REPLY
marilyn
12/19/2006 11:48 PM
is it better to bake a cake in microwave oven (convection) or normal gas box oven.
REPLY
marilyn
12/19/2006 11:36 PM
i had recently baked a cake in microwave oven.intially the cake rose quickly as it cooled down it just got flattened out like a pizza bread.
REPLY
marilyn
12/19/2006 11:35 PM
i had recently baked a cake in microwave oven.intially the cake rose quickly as it cooled down it just got flattened out like a pizza bread.Also is it better to bake in gas box oven or microwave oven(convection). thank you
REPLY
LISA SMITH
12/08/2006 12:28 PM
I'VE LEARNED THAT THE BICARDI RUM CAKE IS NOT SO FORGIVING WITH MIXING. THE CAKE DOES NOT RISE OR TAKE ON THE SAME CONSISTENCY AS WHEN IT DOES WHEN YOU BEAT IT FOR 4 MINUTES AS THE RECIPE INSTRUCTS. WITH THE EXTRA BEATING THE MIX TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW COLOR AND CONSISTENCY AND THE CAKE JUST BAKES ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY.
SPECIFICALLY, YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS INSTRUCTION!
REPLY
Jo Ralston
11/29/2006 11:22 PM
I just bought your Cake Bible and I LOVE it. I stumbled across your web site and am absolutely thrilled to have a way to communicate with you. I want to make the Bicardi Rum cake recipe that uses a cake mix and pudding by NOT using a cake mix OR the pudding!! I've tried a few scratch yellow cake recipes including your favorite but it was not even close to the original. PLEASE HELP! P.S. I need KISS (keep it super simple) directions! Thanks much. Jo
REPLY
Rose
10/24/2006 04:11 PM
i'm quite certain it's the oven as cake mixes can take a lot of abuse uless the preson added a huge amount of liquid more than was called for. the only way you can be sure is if your sister mixes up a cake and bakes it in the oven. (less expensive than having to replace the oven perhaps unnecessarily)
REPLY
Annette
10/24/2006 03:54 PM
My sister is a landlord and her tenant was making a banana cake in an older stove provided by her and he said the center of his cake was not cooking after 35 minutes..he turned the heat up higher and the outside of the cake was getting real brown but the center of the cake was still very loose..could it be the stove or the cake mix..? Did he have too much liquid in the cake perhaps? or is he just looking for a new stove?
REPLY
carol pastorini
08/18/2006 11:52 AM
i would like to know if i add a can of mandarin oranges to a cake mix, how much water should I reduce it by, if any. it is a store bought cake mix and i can't find anywhere on the website of duncan hines to even ask this or anyone who will talk on the phone. i think it would taste good in the orange supreme mix but don't know how to make the exchange. thanks to anyone who can help me.
REPLY
Canadian Flour
Funny Looking Muffins