Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi all. So this question is a little complicated, but I’d really like a second opinion.

In my other question I mentioned how my last cake was a disaster, one of the reasons being the oven temperature was too high for my fan oven plus using a dark tin. That was a caramel mud cake. Now I’m about to attempt a lemon drizzle as this is a highly requested cake in my family. The recipe calls for 180C, which would be 160C for my oven. However, 160C was what I did for the failed cake which burned on the outside and was raw on the inside. I never reduced to compensate for that cake however, it should have been 140C, and I didn’t line with parchment. I used the butter and flour method.

So would the lemon drizzle at 160C be too high for my oven even though it is reduced from what the recipe calls for? I will be trying this cake with a double lining also. I’m just not sure whether to bake at 160C or try going lower at 150C. I’m a bit worried 150C will leave the center uncooked but I don’t want to the outside to burn either. If there’s anyone who has made this cake in a fan oven it would be helpful to know what temp works for you. Thanks for any help!

I’m aware these two cakes are different densities also. The mud cake batter was very thick while I imagine the lemon drizzle batter to be more light and airy. Does a lighter batter require a higher or lower temperature?

Hi leanne9471

Lemon drizzle cake is basically just a normal sponge which has warm lemon syrup poured into it while warm and a crunch icing to top with. It seems to me that your oven is baking at a different internal temperature to the outside temperature shown on the dial. To determine the inner heat you would need to use an oven thermometer. As it stands at the present it appears your oven is baking hotter than what the temperature dial says. It would be hard to advise you without knowing which recipe and size you are using. As I explained in my last answer, I bake at 140c fan and have no problems. I don’t follow a lot of recipe temperatures because I know my oven so most of my cakes are baked at 140c fan but that doesn’t mean yours will be the same as all ovens are different. The only way really is to try a lower temperature, bake for the given time and test the cake for doneness. If it needs baking on do so for five minute intervals until the a tooth pick comes out clean. If the cake is still very wobbly the centre will not have set and will need baking on until it is firm but springy to a light touch. I don’t know whether other people bake less dense cakes at a higher temperature, perhaps other members will contribute their experience. When bakes come out wrong after a recipe has been followed correctly it is mostly the oven to blame. In your last question I left a link for a blog which explains oven temperatures and how to ensure getting the best out of your appliance, it might help you to solve the mystery of your oven. Please post again if you need more information and hopefully other members will contribute with more advice. x

Thanks madeitwithlove. Just to report, I just made my lemon drizzle at 150C. The center is undercooked however I am very happy with the result as the double lining gave nice spongy sides instead of hard. I think next time I’ll do 160C so as the center cooks now I know I won’t have that problem of hard edges. Though this cake isn’t perfect I’m much more confident about my next bakes. 🙂

Thanks for your feed back Leanne. It would have baked through if you had left it a while longer without the sides hardening, at least now you are beginning to know your own oven which is a good thing. It may be necessary to keep experimenting with other cake recipes as each recipe will behave differently until you find a happy temperature. I’d just like to reiterate the usefulness of an oven thermometer, you’d gain so much peace of mind from an inexpensive piece of equipment. Good luck with all your future baking. Enjoy your cake with your family x

Maybe I’ll stick with 150C for this recipe then. I was wondering if the center would never cook as I made the lining quite high, maybe 4 inches above the rim. Would that have interferred or does the height not matter?

It might have done, possibly kept the heat off the middle of the batter. I usually do 2″ and find that’s plenty to keep the sides from over baking and the centre always cooks. I still believe it is to do with the internal temperature of your oven. If you’re happy with 150c fan stick with it, next time reduce the size of the lining. In a small notebook jot down your results each time you make changes. The temperature reduction for fan assisted is between 10 -20% so you could tinker in and around that region. Another little thing you could do is use an upturned metal Royal icing flower nail in the batter. Place the flower nail in the cake tin and pour the batter over. The nail acts as a heating core, distributing the heat more evenly through the batter. It will leave a slight indentation in the baked cake, nothing which will show when the cake is decorated. It also helps eliminate excessive doming, particularly in madeira cakes which are prone to doming and cracking. I hope you’ll experiment with some of these ideas. You’ll be surprise at the lengths some people go to in search of the perfect temperature, the person in the link kept a graph! x

I will be keeping everything you’ve said in mind. I seem to be a bit of a perfectionist when baking so any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks again, bye for now! x