Baked items rise higher in the middle

[Shel_B]

I don't bake much, and my skills and knowledge are pretty basic.  When I have baked my cornbread in an 8x8 pan, the center rises higher than the edges. What causes that? Can it be prevented?

[Alex]

With a thick batter like cornbread or brownies, I push it to be higher in the sides and corners of the pan than in the center. 

[AlaMoi]

using a cake pan, a square cornbread type dish, cupcakes, bread pans . . .

 

the heat penetrates the sides, the batter / dough sets up 'faster' than in the middle.

when set, the edges do not "rise" as the center puffs up - from yeast and/or baking powder and/or baking soda and or eggs.

[Shel_B]

4 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

using a cake pan, a square cornbread type dish, cupcakes, bread pans . . .

 

the heat penetrates the sides, the batter / dough sets up 'faster' than in the middle.

when set, the edges do not "rise" as the center puffs up - from yeast and/or baking powder and/or baking soda and or eggs.

Might lower temp and longer baking time correct this issue?  I've been baking at 375-f, maybe drop to 350-f and add some time?

[pastrygirl]

8 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Might lower temp and longer baking time correct this issue?  I've been baking at 375-f, maybe drop to 350-f and add some time?

 

yes that should help

[JeanneCake]

We use "cake strips" which is a long strip of an insulation-type material (about 1.5 wide) long enough to go around the outside of the pan and it pins in place.  It helps to bake a more level cake (or, more level than not  using it).  We mostly use it on the larger square cakes we make.   Some people use rags or strips of towel (bath towel, not paper towel).  You soak the cake strip in water then you pin it in place and into the oven it goes.....

[JoNorvelleWalker]

20 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

We use "cake strips" which is a long strip of an insulation-type material (about 1.5 wide) long enough to go around the outside of the pan and it pins in place.  It helps to bake a more level cake (or, more level than not  using it).  We mostly use it on the larger square cakes we make.   Some people use rags or strips of towel (bath towel, not paper towel).  You soak the cake strip in water then you pin it in place and into the oven it goes.....

 

I second cake strips.  They come in sizes that would work for 8x8 inch pans.

 

 

[Shel_B]

20 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

We use "cake strips" which is a long strip of an insulation-type material (about 1.5 wide) long enough to go around the outside of the pan

 

26 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I second cake strips.  They come in sizes that would work for 8x8 inch pans.

 

Is there any advantage over getting time and temp dialed in and using a better technique?

[curls]

5 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Is there any advantage over getting time and temp dialed in and using a better technique?

Cake strips are a technique.  🙂

Go with whichever method works best for you.

[Pete Fred]

Funny you should bring this up after my cake fail from earlier in the week, which demonstrated this problem spectacularly.

 

I've used a store-bought cake strip in the past; not often, and I stopped bothering when it quickly became discoloured and a bit manky. I figured now might be a good opportunity to test a DIY cake strip with a recipe I knew had issues (at least here in France).

 

Here's the cake strip...

 

 

I baked two identical cakes, even measuring the leavening to a hundredth of a gram(!).

 

The results, <drum roll, please>...

 

 

Cake strip on the right, if you hadn't guessed already.

 

 

I thought the edges would rise a little higher due the insulation from the strip, but that didn't seem to be the case. The main benefit was to reduce the height and slope of the peak, not completely but a noticable improvement.

 

The main problem here, I think, is the recipe. But I guess this little experiment does show that these strips can help somewhat.

[JeanneCake]

How deep is that cake tin?  If you have a shorter tin, try that; I've found over the years when I bake in a 3inch tall cake pan and fill with a (US) standard batter recipe, the cake is short and doesn't bake as well as the same recipe in a  2inch tall  pan.

 

I think the cake strip being wet helps to further insulate the sides of the cake so the whole of the batter rises evenly (as opposed to the sides setting first and the center of the batter has no where else to go except rise/split as it bakes).  The strips do get manky over time, and we've replaced several cake strips over the years; I've heard anecdotes about people using torn strips of bath towels instead of the purchased strips!

[Pete Fred]

1 hour ago, JeanneCake said:

How deep is that cake tin?

 

Yeah, the tin is 7.5cm/3" deep and may be part of the problem.

 

It's essentially the same as the one Stella Parks recommended on Serious Eats several years ago. I quote: "This eight-by-three-inch anodized aluminum pan from Fat Daddio's is far and away my favorite. It's the brand we kept at the cake shop where I used to work, what I've always ordered when stocking a new restaurant kitchen, and the only thing I use at home."

 

I bookmarked the link at the time, but that article now redirects to this one which is not of the same opinion and prefers a shallower tin. (The original Parks article is here.)

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a shallower tin to make a comparison. All I've got is a 20cm/8" tart ring that's 3.5cm/1⅓" deep. Out of curiosity I might give that a go when I've got the ingredients.

[Shel_B]

 

This mornng I made another cornbread and reduced the temp from 375-deg F to 350-deg F and ended up inreasing the time by 24%.  The result was a much flatter cornbread. The edges remained crisp, perhaps a skosh more than when baked at the higher teemperature, a bit of a surprise.

 

I wish I had a before shot to show you.

 

Thanks for your suggestions. I learned something and improved my results.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Shel_B
Typo, clarity, additional info (log)