How Do You Make Normal Sized Cakes?

[JennyC]

Ok, most of the time when I make cakes they end up pretty flat and thin. I often use Pamela's cake mix but it also happens with others as well. I just made Pamela's chocolate cake in 9 inch rounds and the cakes might be one inch tall at the most. I'm making a Birthday cake for my son and I would really like the cake to be a normal thickness. Last year I made a 9x13 cake and ended up making two cakes, one for the top layer and one for the bottom layer. It weighed a ton. What do you guys do when you really want thicker cakes? I was thinking of making up two Pamela's mixes and filling the cake pan extra full, but I'm afraid that would backfire somehow...

Any thoughts?

[celiac-mommy]

Hi Jenny!

I've never had an issue with the Pamela's mix. For me, I get regular sized fluffy cakes. Do you have a thermometer in your oven? I'm wondering if it's the oven... My only suggestion is to cut each cake in half and fill them--so you'd have 3 filled layers plus the frosting. It would definitely increase the size of the cake and look impressive when you cut into it. Or you could come over and try my oven, see if it makes a difference...

[torontosue]

I do a double layered round cake using the one bowl chocolate cake someone here posted.

Maybe someone can help you out with the recipe. It's really easy.

[ptkds]

Mine always sink down in the middle, plus they are thin. How do I fix that? They are done all the way and my oven works fine. I have a feeling it happens because of a serious lack of gluten!

Any ideas to fix this?

[purple]

I do a double layered round cake using the one bowl chocolate cake someone here posted.

Maybe someone can help you out with the recipe. It's really easy.

Its at recipezaar#209764. Walt made it and thought it was great but I think we lost his post. There are lots of comments at recipezaar on it so be sure to read them.

[purple]

Ok, most of the time when I make cakes they end up pretty flat and thin. I often use Pamela's cake mix but it also happens with others as well. I just made Pamela's chocolate cake in 9 inch rounds and the cakes might be one inch tall at the most. I'm making a Birthday cake for my son and I would really like the cake to be a normal thickness. Last year I made a 9x13 cake and ended up making two cakes, one for the top layer and one for the bottom layer. It weighed a ton. What do you guys do when you really want thicker cakes? I was thinking of making up two Pamela's mixes and filling the cake pan extra full, but I'm afraid that would backfire somehow...

Any thoughts?

If your cake is too short or falls in the middle, you can spread ice cream on the top and sides and freeze it. I used to use a 1/2 gallon for a 9x13 cake. People may never know where as you can tell with the frosting. I read somewhere that gluten-free cakes need to be baked in smaller pans. The larger 9x13 pans keep the middle from baking and end up gooey. Try the One Bowl Chocolate cake from recipezaar#209764, just double the recipe or try the Apple cake #174346, its more fluffy so I don't know how easy it would be to remove from the pan but its extremely good too. Read all the comments next to the recipes. I just reposted my pumpkin bread recipe. It would work great for a cake but you would have to guess how much to put in the pans. Baked in small loaf pans my bread was 2 3/4 " tall.

[elonwy]

I had really good luck making Pamela's Mix in a bundt cake pan. Used two mixes, and it came out nice a moist and not.... fluffy exactly, but not brick like either. I used cream cheese icing (my fav) which is basically cream cheese whipped with powdered sugar and food coloring, and everyone loved it, even the non-gluten-free people.

[missy'smom]

Sometimes sinking or failing to rise can be a result of old baking powder(or old stock-the customer lets the mix sit around too long or the store does, resulting in inactive baking powder) or overbeaten eggs(even if they aren't beaten separately).

[purple]

Its at recipezaar#209764. Walt made it and thought it was great but I think we lost his post. There are lots of comments at recipezaar on it so be sure to read them.

I made this cake again today-into cupcakes. I wanted to make a double recipe and layer them but I ran out of sugar. I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa and added 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. I used Carol's sorghum mix. If you like an easy, moist, very chocolatey cake you gotta try this. My one word comment for it is:

WWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mamatide]

OK, I've watched this thread for a while and just *have* to say that I've never had a cake fall (depression in the centre) nor be flat on me....

I counsel all the flat/depressed cake makers to try Glutino chocolate cake mix. If anything, I'd complain that it was TOOO high in the middle (I end up cutting off the top so that the iciing will sit normallly!

I'd be very interested to hear how you make out (following the directions on the box as I did, no substitutions) compared to me!

mamatide

[JennyC]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I did test my oven temperature, and it is accurate. I only have this problem with some recipes/mixes, including Pamela's. I did not have a problem with Namaste, Laurel's, or the one bowl chocolate cake recipe. It's just that I really like the flavor of Pamela's and I NEED to use a mix because the cake that I am making is very complicated for my cake decorating skill level, and I want to decrease my stress as much as possible.

Thanks again for all the input!

Here's a link to the Spiderman cake if any one's interested:

It's the Spider-Man 3-Spin DecoSet

Open Original Shared Link

[celiac-mommy]

That cake looks amazing!! Let me know how it turns out-waaaayyy out of my league . I would go ahead and use the pamela's, don't over beat the mix and maybe bake a little longer to ensure the middle is totally done. Then if it falls, just cut each layer and fill the extra layer....

[JennyC]

It is way out of my league too! I'm actually kind of scared! I ended up buying an airbrush for this project, which is sure to be a good investment. I just want Tristen to have a nice cake for his birthday, especially since he goes to birthday parties all year and can never eat the cute cakes! I will end up doing three layers for each cake. There are two cakes, a 1/4 sheet on the bottom and a 1/8 sheet on top. The very top with spiderman is plastic. Since the cake will be so heavy I will have to use dowels to support the second cake layer. I've NEVER done anything like this before, and I have to transport it!

Rachelle, if you ever need an airbrush for cake decorating let me know. I want to get lots of use out of my "investment."

[celiac-mommy]

Thanks, I may take you up on that!

[Guest AutumnE]

It is way out of my league too! I'm actually kind of scared! I ended up buying an airbrush for this project, which is sure to be a good investment. I just want Tristen to have a nice cake for his birthday, especially since he goes to birthday parties all year and can never eat the cute cakes! I will end up doing three layers for each cake. There are two cakes, a 1/4 sheet on the bottom and a 1/8 sheet on top. The very top with spiderman is plastic. Since the cake will be so heavy I will have to use dowels to support the second cake layer. I've NEVER done anything like this before, and I have to transport it!

Rachelle, if you ever need an airbrush for cake decorating let me know. I want to get lots of use out of my "investment."

I decorate cakes and I have found thin layers does work best but Namaste does good for me with a 13x9 inch pan. I usually use the spice cake since I think it has a really good flavor. Don't add pudding to the mix, while it is nice in texture like a brownie but it will make it heavy and sink a little. Make it early in the week and freeze the pan after flipping it out of the cake pan. Any flat place can be filled in with frosting. I once added about 2 inches of frosting in the middle and froze it that way to fill in a deep gap then frosted the final layer on top. If you freeze the cake you wont have the crumbs to deal with while frosting it. If you use spectrum frosting, I have found it doesn't color near as well and leaves dotty type look to it where the color wont blend well and crisco lets it color all the way through. If you are going to be mixing your own red frosting be careful to not add too much dye. To get a true red color you have to add too much and it ends up bitter tasting.

If you don't have your things bought yet I would use color in a jar that you dip a toothpick in since I find it does the best with coloring it.

I used dowels on my daughter's five layer cake for her last birthday party. If you want I can pm you on how to use dowels and what you need?

[Sweetfudge]

If anything, I'd complain that it was TOOO high in the middle (I end up cutting off the top so that the iciing will sit normallly!

haha

i made a carrot cake this weekend which fell apart as i was trying to take it out of the pan....but i realized that i had forgotten to add xanthan gum well, at least it tasted delicious!

[JennyC]

I used dowels on my daughter's five layer cake for her last birthday party. If you want I can pm you on how to use dowels and what you need?

That would be great! I've never used dowels, but I have seem them used once on the show Ace of Cakes. Should I put the the second cake on cardboard?

It's not that my cake falls, it's that it never rises very much. Maybe I over-beat it. I just planned on making three layers for each cake. (It's actually two cakes, one on top of the other.) I do like Namaste, but I decided to go with Pamela's because it has great flavor, and I bought tons of mixes so I'm not changing my mind now!

If you follow the link to see the cake I'm making (please do, I could use your advice ) you'll see that for both cakes the top is black and on one cake the sides are red and on the other the sides are blue. The instructions that came with the cake said to use an airbrush to color the cake. I made practice cakes and tried to decorate cakes in the same manner and discovered I really NEED the airbrush. So I bought one and I love it! It easily colors the frosting black and red. I plan on using a mix of butter and shortening in my frosting. I don't need any white frosting, so it does not bother me if the frosting does not turn out really white.

Again, any and all advice is appreciated. I am totally stressing myself out about this cake. Think...obsessing! I plan to start making my MANY layers on Thursday night and put them in the freezer. I plan on decorating ALL DAY Friday.

Thanks again!