Restaurant Eve's Cake

[AnnieWilliams]

In my cake off season, I like to give new scratch recipes a try. I just realized that I have had this one tucked away in a binder since it was printed in 2006 and I wanted to give it a try with a few others I've picked out.

I just have a few questions about this recipe.

1. Does the cake stay moist for a couple of days? How about if it's baked into cupcakes (I need something that's going to hold up for at least two days)?

2. How much batter are you using in each cupcake? I have a 3 tbs scoop which is what I usually use for cupcakes but some recipes rise more than others.

3. The recipe just says "flour" which I assume to be AP flour. Do you usually use AP or cake flour?

Thanks in advance.

Annie

[AnnieWilliams]

So I made this cake today for my birthday. I was in kind of a hurry so I think I screwed up a few things. I used the whole recipe in 8" pans and didn't use my baking strips. It got way over-browned in the oven and the edges got crusty (again, I think it was from not using baking strips). The thing that confused me was that the cake shrank horribly when I took it out of the pan. It went from having a nice dome to being flat (slightly sunken) and pulling away from the sides of the pan. I haven't tried the recipe before so I wasn't sure if that was normal. At first I thought it was under-baked because it sank very slightly after pulling it out but then when I tried it, it seemed a bit dry. I did end up baking it for about 37 minutes. The recipe when baked in a 9" should take 30-35, but it was still a bit wiggly in the center so I added a few more minutes. I did bake at 350 but I have never calibrated my oven so I couldn't tell you if it's right on or not.

Does anyone have any suggestions about the problems I had? The shrinking is my main concern. All ingredients were at room temperature and measured properly (I did the scoop and sweep for my flour, maybe I should have spooned it in?).

Thanks!

[Emme]

i'd definitely put a thermometer in your oven. my guess is your oven is running hot. especially a problem if you're baking more batter in smaller pans (more depth to smaller diameter).

[chowser]

What recipe did you use? Was it from the Washington Post? I've seen variations of the same recipe that could make a big difference. I'm inclined to agree w/ Emme about oven temperature. I don't use oven strips and I also scoop and sweep.

[AnnieWilliams]

Yes it was the one from the Post. The shrinking has had me scratching my head. I really don't get it. I was using a Kitchen Aid and I let it rip on medium low for two minutes after everything was added. Maybe that was too much? I used regular bleached AP flour.

Does yours shrink at all? Does it come out with a dome?

[hotoynoodle]

i have never made this cake, but i always incorporate flour by hand. it should be "just enough" to be incorporated. too much mixing will make tough gluten and dry cake.

i also agree with the others about checking your oven temp. burnt edges and a wiggly middle means the temp is off. i'd also consider adjusting the rack positions you use. i moved last year and it took me a few baking outings to realize i needed to use a higher rack than i had in my last place.

[chowser]

Mine doesn't dome and I use unbleached ap flour. I didn't catch Danna's suggestion about the pan but I think there is too much batter for 8" pans so the center was under cooked, edges overcooked. If you do use smaller pans, I'd reduce the temp and watch carefully.

[AnnieWilliams]

Thanks chowser. I appreciate the input. It seemed like there wasn't enough batter in the pans even for the 8". But I think you are right about the edges. The taste is really good. I heard others describe it as a sugar cookie taste and they are right. The tiny piece I tried warm tasted just like a sugar cookie.

[hotoynoodle]

a domed top is not desirable. here's a link to rose levy berenbaum explaining the problem and some fixes:

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/200...

[AnnieWilliams]

Interesting about the doming. It had started to dome in the oven very slightly but then it flattened out and shrank from the sides.

I am not necessarily worried about gluten formation in this recipe because of the reverse creaming. Melted butter is first mixed with the dry ingredients which coat the flour and inhibit the formation of gluten. It's just interesting because the thing seemed to be both overbaked and underbaked at the same time. But when I cut into it yesterday it was done and a bit dry. So I think I overbaked.

[danna]

Shrinking from the sides is a sure sign of overbaking.

[AnnieWilliams]

See I was wondering about that, but when I checked it at 35 minutes it was still wiggly in the middle. So I left it in for a few more until it was set.

[danna]

that would tend to make me think I was cooking it a bit hot. that plus filling the pan up deeper than usual might make it harder to get it fully cooked in the middle.

btw, i would never wait the full amount of suggest time before checking a cake. you can always let it cook more, but you can't go back in time! ;-) In the future, if you want to put 9" worth of batter in 8" pans, eat approximately 20% of the batter first (that's what I do...sometimes I share w/ the dog)

[AnnieWilliams]

Yeah the recipe said 30-35 minutes for a 9 incher. So I checked it at 30, it was wiggly, then I checked it again at 35, still wiggly, then added on a few more minutes until it was done.

I usually bake at 325 but the first time I make a recipe I like to do it per the instructions. Then I take notes and see what I can do to improve.

LOL at eating the cake batter. Good grief that stuff was good. My husband was circling around the island in the kitchen like a shark waiting to lick the bowl! He always yells at me for baking it. He thinks we should just eat the batter. I am inclined to agree with him most of the time. :)

[chowser]

This is a moist, dense cake and refrigerates well. Just let it come to room temp before serving. It helps, if you're making cupcakes, to frost it and cover the entire surface w/ frosting. For cupcakes, I fill 2/3 full. I find foil liners work better for long term than paper ones. I use AP flour for it.

[AnnieWilliams]

Awesome! Thanks so much! I really don't like fluffy airy cakes so I am always on the lookout for cakes with some heft.

Thanks!

[hotoynoodle]

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1915...

is it this?

it seems like a pretty straight-forward yellow cake. most cakes will last a few days, especially if completely frosted. the frosting helps keep the air from drying out the cake.

all cakes can be made into cupcakes. just fill the cupcake tin about 2/3 the way so they don't all blob together.

[AnnieWilliams]

Thanks. That is the recipe.

I have tried a lot of scratch recipes that dry out quickly, especially in cupcake form. And there are a lot of recipes that don't convert well to cupcakes. I just wanted to make sure that this wasn't one of those recipes. I hardly ever make cupcakes because I hate them but I have been asked to for an event Saturday. I am baking tonight and I wanted to make sure they will stay moist.

Thanks again for your help.