The cake was not finished baking in 30 minutes. I had to keep putting it back in the oven and the center of the cake never completely baked after one hour. I finally had to give up and make a new cake from a box so that I could get to a birthday party in time. I wasted a lot of time on this cake. My oven was not broken, box version turned out perfect.

Hi Helen,

Sorry to hear about your cake baking troubles! Here are a few tips to help make your next cake baking session more successful.

Different ovens perform in different ways even among the same model. Always use a cake tester or a wooden toothpick to test the cake you're baking for doneness. Baking times are always a general guideline and you must always bake the cake until done, not until a certain time has elapsed.

It sounds to me as though your cake may have fallen. This can happen if you open the oven and let in a cold blast of air before it has finished setting up in the center. So never open the oven to check on a cake until at least 45% of the baking time has passed. You can turn on the oven light and peer in or just open the oven door a crack (never fully open) - if the cake looks wet in the center then don't risk a fallen cake by opening the oven door!

There was another problem that you described which can be even more disastrous in cake baking than opening the oven door - you said "I had to keep putting it back in the oven".

Once a cake is in the oven and beginning to heat, never, ever move it! Jarring the pan the cake is baking in will almost certainly cause the cake to fall. Once a cake falls, it will never finish baking in the center, no matter how long you continue to bake.

For best results, buy an oven thermometer and check to make sure your oven temperature is correct; and once the cake is in the oven, leave it without opening the door until the last few minutes, then test to be sure it's done, opening the door and closing it as quickly as possible.

-- CM