Baking Cakes without Eggs (or Vegan Baking)

Menakshi asks: I have a problem and am desperately looking for an answer. I am an amateur baker who is trying to bake without eggs. My problem is that my cakes come out of the oven perfect, but after cooling down, they are dense and heavy. I am also selling some cakes, but the general [...]

Can I Bake a Cake in a Toaster Oven?

Alma asks: I baked a moist 7-Up pound cake, but it turned out a disaster!!! The measurements I followed are: 3 C. all purpose flour 3 C. sugar (I used half the sugar) 5 eggs 1 C. Sprite (no 7-up available) 1 T. vanilla

Bake in 325 oven for 60+10 mins (1 hr.+10 mins). That [...]

Baking Cakes Without Eggs

Ayush says: I’ve tried an egg-less chocolate cake many times but it is not doing nicely. Every time it turns hard or rubbery. Also it sinks down after rising before it can set. I make it in a convection microwave oven. Can you please help me so that i can get it right?

Baking S.O.S. [...]

Trifling Matters: Dry Sponge Cake

Ann Louise asks: With Christmas coming I am really desperate for helpful advice on what I’m doing wrong when baking the sponge cake for my trifle. I have always used the trifle recipe from The Joy of Cooking book, which I’ve had since 1979, although I’ve only begun using that particular recipe in the past [...]

Pound Cake Problems

Betty asks: I have made pound cakes for years but was trying a new recipe. I used loaf pans rather than a bunt pan. The cake separated from the pan and was very crumbly. I did use dark pans. Some of the recipes I have tried call for a combination of butter and Crisco, and [...]

Cupcake Challenges

Arnulfo asks:I work as a pastry maker at Velvet Cupcakes and I am very frustrated to solve my problem on my cupcakes: sometimes not drying fast but it’s removing from the paper cups, and sometimes not separating from paper cups but it’s fast drying. This is my first time I encountered this oven. I am [...]

Can Cake Batter be Mixed Ahead and Baked Later?

Noreen asks: Is it possible to mix a cake batter and put it in the refrigerator to bake it off later? How will that affect how the cake rises?

Baking S.O.S. says: This question is particularly interesting because I don’t have any actual experience to draw on–all I can do is guess what might happen.

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Baking in a New Oven

Daksha says: I was quite impressed by your site & decided to seek your advice.

I have been baking in an old Belling electric oven (my mother’s) for the past 30+ years and have a couple of standard cake recipes that always turn out great. However last month I bought a microwave + convection oven. [...]

7-Up Cake and the Creaming Method

Buffy asks: I want to bake a 7-up cake but it comes out dense and/or heavy, yuk! This recipe doesn’t call for baking power or baking soda!. So could I use 1 tsp baking powder ?

Baking S.O.S. says: Interesting challenge!

I have never baked a 7-Up cake before, so I wasn’t sure what ingredients [...]

How Chemical Leaving Agents Work (the difference between baking soda and baking powder)

Ruby asks: I am working on a science project that determines if you add baking soda in a cupcake recipe that calls for baking powder, will it make a difference, and I cant remember which cupcakes I put baking soda/powder in!! Any suggestions to help me determine which is which? Please answer ASAP!!!!

Baking S.O.S. [...]