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Question for the cake bakers

post #1 of 19
4/24/11 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
I'm baking a cake in a bowl, and as expected, it's taking forever, and I imagine the outside is overcooking while the inside is still uncooked. I know for regular pans you can get bake even strips that you wet and put around the pan, but what about for a bowl?

Is there something else I can use? I saw one website said a wet towel, but I'm not sure how to keep it from falling off?

Any tips?

Thanks!
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post #2 of 19
4/24/11 at 8:11pm
I've never baked in a bowl but wonder if foil wrap would be an option. I know it can be used on the edges of pies to keep the crust from burning while the rest of the pie bakes.
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post #3 of 19
4/24/11 at 8:48pm
The internet has taught me:

1) Its a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake, but you gotta do the cooking by the book and you know you can't be lazy.

2) The cake is a lie.

JK, my mom always puts a tray of water on the bottom shelf, and the extra humidity is supposed to create a even cook and prevent the exposed parts from cracking or getting too dry.
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post #4 of 19
4/25/11 at 3:45am
I've never heard of baking a cake in a bowl.

I have used the strips. They are fantastic. You wet them and wrap around the pan and secure with a pin.

I don't know what you would use for a bowl.

Let us know how it comes out!
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post #5 of 19
4/25/11 at 5:04am
I've heard of the strips, but have not used them.

Never baked a cake in a big bowl, but have used smaller bowls, molds, etc.

Putting a pan of water in the oven works great to prevent cracks in the top of a cheesecake, but I've never heard of doing this with a regular cake.

Sarah, are you using a recipe that calls for bowl baking? If so, follow the recipe for baking temp and times and you should be fine.
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post #6 of 19
4/25/11 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
I'm baking a cake for my daughter's upcoming birthday which calls for 2 bowl shapes (pudding basins to be precise!), so the "recipe" is more for the design, not for the cake itself. This is the cake:



The cakes I baked last night don't look too bad, but I haven't cut into it yet - the center needs to be well cooked because I'll be putting one on top of the other. Maybe I need to just use a lower temperature and cook for longer?
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post #7 of 19
4/25/11 at 12:26pm
OMG, how cute! Those meringue mushrooms are adorable, too....or are they mushrooms made from frosting??

Are you using a recipe for the cake or "flying by the seat of your pants"? What I found by googling says that temp for bowl cakes should be about 350 degrees and the bowls baked about 50 minutes or so. Stick a skewer down into the baked cakes to ensure they're really done....you'll be frosting it anyway, so the skewer holes won't show.

Just a hint: After you position the top cake on the bottom cake, put a dowel rod down the center of the two cakes where they come together before you start to frost the cakes to help keep the top from sliding off the bottom when it's frosted. I'm afraid if you don't put the dowel rod inside the two cakes, the roof may slide off the house. (But I'm sure you already know that.)

It looks amazing! And I'm sure your cake will look just as fantastic! If you don't mind, would you post a picture of your finished cake? I'd really love to see it.
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post #8 of 19
4/25/11 at 12:43pm
I will be honest...I NEVER bake cakes higher than 325 F, because I've found that they tend to dry out. Baking longer at a lower temp will definitely help. As for wetting a towel and wrapping around, you can always use pins to hold the towel on, but you do run the risk of the towel drying out and causing a fire.

What size are the bowls? And as for stacking...your best bet to keep the cake from sinking is your support, not the cake itself. Looking at the picture, you'll want to cut the top of the bottom shape to get a flat surface for the next layer to sit on. Make sure to put dowel rods in the bottom, and use a plate or cardboard circle for cakes under the top layer. Once the top layer is placed on the bottom, you can use one sharpened dowel rod down the middle of both to secure the top layer to the bottom.

If you don't use a cardboard circle, but rather a plate or something that a sharpened dowel rod won't go through, you might be able to get away without the center dowel, especially if you're not transporting the cake.

If you have any specifics on support structure, etc., feel free to PM me. I have a side cake-decorating business, so I do know quite a bit about it.
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post #9 of 19
4/25/11 at 2:44pm
How did they turn out? I've baked a cake in a bowl only once, and it cooked all the way through and was fine. I made this chocolate nest cake for our daughter's 6th "bird-day" party, she was really into birds and her pet chicken, Mrs. Cluckers.



I've found the trick to a moist cake is to take it out of the pan(s) and wrap it in foil while it cools. The moistness stays in and it's never dry that way.

Hope you post some pics of your finished cake! Wow is it your little girl's birthday already!
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post #10 of 19
4/25/11 at 2:53pm
I used to bake pound cake for my husband and I. I used the bowl BECAUSE he liked burned and I liked it bordering on being uncooked. Very pretty cake and one lucky bday girl to be able to say mom made something like that!
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post #11 of 19
4/25/11 at 6:37pm
Thread Starter 
I've had the cakes sitting on top of each other all day as a trial, and they've stayed put with no sagging or other problems, so I guess it'll be ok. I was planning to put a support in the middle, I hadn't really thought about what I'd do, so thanks for the ideas!

I'm very excited about it, I got a bunch of the decorations already. I need to go to Michaels still to get some more bits and pieces.

The mushrooms in the pic are marshmallow mushrooms, but I'm doing meringue mushrooms. I tried them over the weekend, and they looked awesome! I was also thinking of tinting some coconut green to use as grass for around the toadstool as well
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post #12 of 19
4/25/11 at 6:47pm
Sarah, you never cease to amaze me with your creative genius! Can't wait for the pictures!
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post #13 of 19
4/27/11 at 4:50am
That bird nest cake is AWESOME! Win!
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post #14 of 19
5/5/11 at 9:12am
Still waiting for pictures of the cake you made!
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post #15 of 19
5/5/11 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
It's this weekend I've been sick this week, so am a bit behind with the making of the decorations. Did you know you can only buy heart candies around Valentine's Day?? Any other time of the year, you have to make them yourself. D'oh!
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post #16 of 19
5/5/11 at 9:45am
Candy shops in the malls might have heart-shaped candies, they seem to have pretty much everything except Jordon almonds (I've asked).
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post #17 of 19
5/5/11 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
I have looked everywhere! Even online, it says they won't stock them until February! I mean, they're just going to be sitting in a warehouse somewhere anyway...
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post #18 of 19
5/5/11 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahp View Post
I have looked everywhere! Even online, it says they won't stock them until February! I mean, they're just going to be sitting in a warehouse somewhere anyway...
Here is a site that seems to have them in stock

http://www.nextag.com/heart-shaped-candy/stores-html
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post #19 of 19
5/5/11 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahp View Post
I have looked everywhere! Even online, it says they won't stock them until February! I mean, they're just going to be sitting in a warehouse somewhere anyway...
Have you tried the Dollar Tree or 99 cent only stores? I have saw some there last weekend where I live.
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