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Problem with the right baking temperature. I have a gas oven. To bake a cake I pre heat the oven at 150 C for at least 1/2 an hour while I prepare all the stuff required for preparing the cake . After baking the cake for 45 minutes and checking the cake with the tooth pick which comes out clean. I put off the gas and leave the cake in the oven for 10 minutes. But once the cake is cut it looks like the bottom layer of the cake is raw though it is cooked. Please suggest a right method to bake a cake and at what point I am going wrong.

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  • There are a great variety of cake recipes and techniques: it would help if you give your recipe, and perhaps a picture, and describe the outcome in more detail. However, there are very few cake recipes (other than cheesecake, which is more properly a custard) where you would leave the cake in a cooling oven after the main baking period.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Apr 27, 2013 at 20:37
  • Have you tried it on a higher temperature? Most of my cakes requires that.
    – Mien
    Apr 27, 2013 at 22:04
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    Also, the dials on ovens lie. To be sure the oven is at the correct temperature you need an oven thermometer. They aren't expensive but save a lot of wasted meals. My oven is always 30°C cooler than the dial says.
    – ElendilTheTall
    Apr 28, 2013 at 13:25

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If this is a reocurring problem, and not just a single failure, there are a few things that you can try:

  1. Change the type of pan you're cooking in. A dark metal pan or a clear glass pan will cook the bottom faster than a shiny metal pan.
  2. Place the cake lower in the oven, so that the bottom is closer to the heating element.
  3. Shield the top of the cake so that it cooks slower, by placing a sheet of aluminum foil or a sheet tray on a rack above the cake. (note, don't cover the cake, we're just shielding it from radiant heat).
  4. Put less batter in the pan. Spread it into two pans, and stack them together once baked.

And if none of that helps, you can also try cooking the cake at a lower temperature for longer ... it'll end up more dense as you won't get the oven spring, but it'll help prevent the chance of over-baking it. You can also start it warm, but then lower the temperature 25-50°F once it's been in for a few minutes.

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  • Placing the cake closer to the bottom heating element will only make the bottom of the cake burn faster which is already a problem. For even heat, the cake should be in the very center of the oven.
    – AdamO
    Apr 28, 2013 at 16:37
  • Just to add to the possibilities, the problem might also be moisture content, if the cake is something like a banana cake or one with berries in it. In that case, try flouring the berries or adding extra baking powder to the batter if the fruit is mashed. The extra rising power usually (but not always) minimizes the raw-dough texture in my banana cakes. Also, try substituting butter in place of oil; the water in the butter will evaporate out, removing some of the excess moisture from the batter.
    – Shalryn
    Mar 1, 2016 at 2:47

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