Cakes not rising - could it be the oven?

floyd

simpywimpy wrote: »

my cooker is brand new and its awful at baking. Ive had a cake in today that is overdone on the bottom yet it was right in the middle of the oven at 180...

Seeing I want to start a cake business, Im struggling to know what to do

Does your oven have different settings like 'top/bottome heating, circulated air, bottom heating only, steam setting, rapid heat'

If there are alternatives have you tried different settings for the same recipe?

simpywimpy

its a 900 wide range style cooker which only has one shelf in it so I have set it on the middle, struggle to get it on the top with a cake on and has no fancy heating etc.

Today;s cake has come out just turning black on the bottom and crispy edges.

A second one I did i took out earlier while still pale on the top and is still crispy edged.

elektra-2007

I read somewhere once that atmosphere and damp weather can affect baking!!! Why dont you replace the oven, keep that one in a shed or give it back to the landlord, then when you move you already have a new one to take with you. That way you may get better results.

angeltreats

elektra-2007 wrote: »

I read somewhere once that atmosphere and damp weather can affect baking!!! Why dont you replace the oven, keep that one in a shed or give it back to the landlord, then when you move you already have a new one to take with you. That way you may get better results.

We may end up buying a new build, which will have a new kitchen complete with oven, or a house with a decent oven already in it, so don't want to spend money on an oven we won't keep. We'll hopefully buy within six months or so, so no point in wasting money.

I'll give the foil idea a try and see if it makes a difference.

angeltreats

An update, for anyone interested.

I bought some extra-wide Bacofoil and stuck a bit piece inside the oven door, overlapping the edges. I tried some quick fairy cakes the other day and they turned out just fine, so I've just done a batch of buttermilk scones and they're risen beautifully (before they were flat as biscuits!). Looks like it was definitely the oven, and while the tinfoil looks ugly we won't be here for long I hope so I'm happy to put up with it for a while.

Massive thanks to msb5262 for suggesting the foil trick!