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vmertsock
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 54
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 Posted:
Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:32 pm |
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I have a recipe I use all the time for work and get raves on. The problem is baking it at home, it always comes out very dense and eggy. I use a gas commercial oven at work, temp set to 300. At home I have a gas oven so I set it to 350, in my old apt I had a gas oven and made this cake once in a 10" pan and it was great, the new place I've only tried making it in sheet pans and it never comes out. Any ideas? I'm wondering if it's a temperature tweaking issue or something. I cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and salt, stream in egg whites then alternate in milk and a mix of cake/ap flour and baking powder. I'd love any ideas on how to make this at home because it turns out so beautifully at work! Thanks! |
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k8memphis
Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 21, 2005
Posts: 769
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Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:48 pm |
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Isn't that totally annoying though?! I feel your pain.
Are you checking the temperature with a thermometer?
And how often does your oven cycle? maybe the heating cycle is lethargic where the temp can get too low in between reheating of the burners kicking on kwim?
Ooh this is a hard one. |
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vmertsock
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 54
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:31 pm |
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The temperature is spot on. It's also ONLY this cake recipe, everything else cooks perfectly, typically in the exact time the recipe says even. I'm not sure how often it cycles but I just got a new ignition switch which was oddly making it cycle very slowly, take forever heating up, etc and ever since I've had no problems with anything but this. Even soufflé's turn out well! |
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k8memphis
Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 21, 2005
Posts: 769
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:42 pm |
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Maybe consider lighting a candle and dropping a dime into the plate at the local cake god/goddess shrine?? Have you ticked them off or something? (they can be bought you know, try a quarter!)
Wow that's a toughie. I'm clueless. Is there a higher water content in the butter you use at home? I know some butter has way too much water in itf. I've heard pros complaining about it too??? I mean even within the same brand the water content can seem to differ.
Is your baking powder older than six months old? |
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vmertsock
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 54
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:19 pm |
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Lol maybe I should try lighting candles, nothing else is working!
I'm using the same brands of every ingredient at home and at work, also the baking powder is newly opened. It's rising ok, but the crust is getting a little thicker and it has a much coarser crumb texture at home than at work which made me think it's a temperature issue but I'm clueless too! |
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MaisieBake
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 21, 2006
Posts: 402
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:56 pm |
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How big is the sheet and how big is the home oven? Do you get good results in the home oven with a smaller pan?
If it's not a size issue, do you have the same power to both mixers? (I'm thinking overmixing at home, which is really counterintuitive.) How about pan grease?
You'd have mentioned it if one oven were convection and one weren't. |
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vmertsock
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 54
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:44 am |
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The sheet is actually a half sheet pan which is 13x18. I've not actually tried with a round pan, I haven't had a chance to and thought I'd try to get some help here so I don't have risk throwing out more cake. It's not a particularly cheap recipe to make. Oven at home is a standard size, 30 inch.
At work I typically use a 20 quart Hobart since I make large quantities but I've made it in a pro 5 kitchen aid at work which is the same machine I use at home.
Each pan gets the sides brushed with clarified butter, both at work and at home then lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Neither oven are convections. |
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Mike1394
Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 20, 2008
Posts: 803
Location: Michigan
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:31 am |
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AHA  A 13x18 in a regular oven is pretty crramped. Are you using bake evn strips, or wet towels around the outside, and a heating core? You don't have the air movement in your home oven that you'll have in a commercial. You'll get a lot of heat from the sides of the oven being so close to the pan.
Mike |
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MaisieBake
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 21, 2006
Posts: 402
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 9:31 am |
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Agreed. The interior width of a 30" oven is generally around 22". Unless you've got convection that's too small for an 18" pan. |
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vmertsock
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Posts: 54
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 4:07 pm |
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I definitely hadn't thought of that! I bake 6-7 other flavors on the same sheets the same way at home without any trace of a problem. I don't use bake even strips or a heating core, never had a need to even very large cakes, would this help at home? Is there a way to use those 1/2 sheet pans and have the cake turn out? |
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alanahodgson
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Jun 16, 2007
Posts: 1725
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:33 pm |
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| Mike1394 wrote: | AHA A 13x18 in a regular oven is pretty crramped. Are you using bake evn strips, or wet towels around the outside, and a heating core? You don't have the air movement in your home oven that you'll have in a commercial. You'll get a lot of heat from the sides of the oven being so close to the pan.
Mike |
that was my thought too. Perhaps heat is not circulating properly because the oven is smaller and its such a bit pan. |
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