I am thinking my oven is too hot…

I have a thermometer that I use in the oven to check my temperature and always have to turn up the heat higher than what the reading on the digital is.  But, my cakes seem to take a bit longer to cook in the middle than the higher end of the stated time and sometimes the cake starts to just pull away from the sides even before I can pull it out (as the middle is barely cooked).  Also, the cakes (esp. chocolate) seem a little dry.  I use Rose’s cake strips.  Is the thermometer just off and I should buy a new one?  I am baking tonight, would it be OK to just go by the digital temp. even if it is 25 degrees cooler?

Thanks for your help,
Allie

alliecakes82 - 04 February 2012 12:04 PM

Is the thermometer just off and I should buy a new one?

I have about 5 thermometers, because I don’t trust the accuracy of one cheapie thermometer.  Plus, I can scatter them about to get an idea of temperature distribution inside the oven.

Aside from that, how are you judging the doneness?  I know that Rose says to look for a completely clean toothpick, but that’s also the same result as an overbaked cake.  I pull the cake out when I see a few crumbs attached to the toothpick, but no wet batter, and I’ve found no drawbacks to this procedure.  The cake will continue to bake slightly as it sits cooling in the pan.

I go by “a few crumbs” and pull it out.  I don’t know…something is off and I am guessing it’s the oven temperature.  I will definately be ordering another thermometer though.  Just a bit frustrating…

If you’re pulling out with a few crumbs, it seems to me that the cake can’t be overbaked. And if you say it takes longer than the stated bake times, then, if anything, your oven is a bit cool.  Could the dryness you perceive merely be the difference between a butter cake and an oil-based cake?

BTW, some people have reported dryness with the chocolate cake because they were inadvertently letting some of the water evaporate as they let the chocolate mixture cool.

Don’t know if this applies to all cakes, but when I made the Gateau Breton in RHC the first time, my oven was too slow and it took a little longer to bake to the correct temp than stated in the recipe.  But I did get it to the correct temp, just in more time.  And the cake was totally dry.  Then I made it again and got it to the correct temp in the correct amount of time, and it was totally different, a very moist interior. 

So I guess what I’m saying is that it is possible to get a dry cake in a slow oven, from too long a time baking.

Hi there
I have a similar problem. I am not sure if the oven is the right temp. If i bake it at the instructed heat, the cake cracks on the top, but if i make the oven cooler, it takes longer to bake. Luckily the cake wasn’t dry.

Perhaps you have hot spots and cool spots in your oven.  One way to determine this is to take a baking sheet and fill it with a a single layer of bread. Put the baking sheet in the oven for a while and see if the bread toasts evenly or if some slices of bread are over-browned and if some are not browned.

CharlesT - 04 February 2012 01:30 PM

alliecakes82 - 04 February 2012 12:04 PM

Is the thermometer just off and I should buy a new one?

I have about 5 thermometers, because I don’t trust the accuracy of one cheapie thermometer.

Me too. I have 3 thermometers in my oven.