New oven not baking evenly

[Lizzie]

I bought a new GE Cafe double oven range, and was so excited to start baking.

I was so disappointed to find that the oven does not bake my cakes like my old oven.

Both pound cakes, and my cakes baked in 9x13 pans back unevenly. They are lopsided, and one side seems over baked and too brown.

I have baked regular, and in using the convection and they are not baking right. I bake about 20 cakes a week, and people are depending on me to deliver them. I have called GE and the store where I purchased, but just trying to resolve it myself.

Anyone ever have this issue when using a new range/oven?

Thanks!
.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I bought a new GE Cafe double oven range, and was so excited to start baking.

I was so disappointed to find that the oven does not bake my cakes like my old oven.

Both pound cakes, and my cakes baked in 9x13 pans back unevenly. They are lopsided, and one side seems over baked and too brown.

I have baked regular, and in using the convection and they are not baking right. I bake about 20 cakes a week, and people are depending on me to deliver them. I have called GE and the store where I purchased, but just trying to resolve it myself.

Anyone ever have this issue when using a new range/oven?

Thanks!
.

I would advise against using the convection. Convection is not suited for home baking. It’s designed for commercial baking; when you have 20 pans in an oven you need air circulating all around the pans in order for everything to bake. When you’re baking at home you do not have that kind of volume. When you use convection with a couple of pan, the heat is too intense. It bakes the cake batter way too fast. I wasted almost $4000 on a Wolf convection oven, not realizing the convection setting would fry all my baked goods.

There’s really not much you can do until you know exactly what is going on with the oven. If you have not already done so test the oven temperature at increments of 25°F from 300°F-400°F.

You need to know if there’s any discrepancies in the setting you’re selecting and the temperature the oven is actually baking at. It may be the oven just needs to be calibrated.


Also place the empty baking dish in the oven and put the thermometer in it. Move it around in the baking dish so you can see if there’s a significant difference in temperature on one end of the baking dish from the other.


Certainly you could try things like reducing baking temperature and using cloth baking strips which I always recommend anyway. With rare exception my cakes are all baked at 325°F. And I always use cloth baking strips. My cakes are perfectly level and even. I can’t even remember the last time I leveled. And my cakes are never overly browned. That is one of my pet peeve’s, I don’t want brown crust lines between my cake layers.

 

[Lizzie]

THANK YOU soooooooooooooo much! You have truly helped me. I was wondering about the convection and baking cakes as there has been pros and cons, and your explanation makes sense to me. I have also checked as you stated with the pan inside and you are correct, the oven temp is not right throughout the oven. I have called the GE repair and they will be here on Monday morning. I absolutely love the range, the WIFI, and other features of the stove, and hope we can resolve the issue. Thanks again, for your help.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

THANK YOU soooooooooooooo much! You have truly helped me. I was wondering about the convection and baking cakes as there has been pros and cons, and your explanation makes sense to me. I have also checked as you stated with the pan inside and you are correct, the oven temp is not right throughout the oven. I have called the GE repair and they will be here on Monday morning. I absolutely love the range, the WIFI, and other features of the stove, and hope we can resolve the issue. Thanks again, for your help.

Sorry didn’t respond earlier, I’ve been out of town. I’m glad my suggestions were useful. I hope the GE repairman fixed your oven. GE does make a good oven. I’ve had GE Profile ovens in my last home and currently have a GE oven. Overall I’ve been pretty satisfied with them.

 

[Fdav]

We too got a cafe dual range. When we bake cakes they are lopsided. We have throw away lot of cake just make it even. Called GE and they gave a new baking tray but still the cakes are baking lopsided

 

[retired baker]

We too got a cafe dual range. When we bake cakes they are lopsided. We have throw away lot of cake just make it even. Called GE and they gave a new baking tray but still the cakes are baking lopsided

the fan is too aggressive, does it have a low speed option?
you could try rotating the cake pan to even it as it bakes or covering it with an inverted stainless bowl to shield it from the blast.

 

[fazaldavood]

the fan is too aggressive, does it have a low speed option?
you could try rotating the cake pan to even it as it bakes or covering it with an inverted stainless bowl to shield it from the blast.

 

[fazaldavood]

Thanks. I posted a picture below. We did bake it in lower oven. The dough moves to the front. We checked using a leveler and it says it all. The oven is even and the rack is also even but the groove where the rack goes in is not even . The GE acknowledged it was a issues with the cavity but when I called GE they told me it is not an issues and sent me a new rack .

 

[fazaldavood]

2 GE technicians came. One said it was a cavity issue and the other said a new rack will solve. But issue was not resolved

 

[retired baker]

Thanks. I posted a picture below. We did bake it in lower oven. The dough moves to the front. We checked using a leveler and it says it all. The oven is even and the rack is also even but the groove where the rack goes in is not even . The GE acknowledged it was a issues with the cavity but when I called GE they told me it is not an issues and sent me a new rack .

Yeh it's uneven.
There's a second issue with doming, that's sometimes a consequence of convection but not always. I would try lowering the temp first. If the recipe says 350 drop it to 325.
It's baking on the edges whilst still unbaked in the middle.
The middle has no place to expand but up.

 

[fazaldavood]

2 GE technicians came. One said it was a cavity issue and the other said a new rack will solve. But issue was not resolved

Yeh it's uneven.
There's a second issue with doming, that's sometimes a consequence of convection but not always. I would try lowering the temp first. If the recipe says 350 drop it to 325.
It's baking on the edges whilst still unbaked in the middle.
The middle has no place to expand but up.

Thank you I will try your suggestion and let you know.

 

[Ladylivesfree]

i had to buy a thermometer for my new oven... and its still learning process!

 

[Linus]

Try THIS Oster convection toaster oven. It's a bit on the small side, but it works like a charm! It can be used for just about all of your baking needs! I haven't had any trouble with it at all!!

 

[Fdav]

Thank you. Will try it out

 

[Penny G]

THANK YOU soooooooooooooo much! You have truly helped me. I was wondering about the convection and baking cakes as there has been pros and cons, and your explanation makes sense to me. I have also checked as you stated with the pan inside and you are correct, the oven temp is not right throughout the oven. I have called the GE repair and they will be here on Monday morning. I absolutely love the range, the WIFI, and other features of the stove, and hope we can resolve the issue. Thanks again, for your help.

I will have to try this! My cakes and sweet breads cook but not in the middle. Tonight I made snickerdoodle bread and they poked done and even cooked them 7 minutes longer. Brought them out of the oven and each collasped in the middle. Had a technician come out last year about this time cause I was having the same problem. Your oven is working fine!!! NOT! I am going to try this and the biscuit test, which I just read about! Love the looks of the oven but oh how I wish I had my 2006 Kenmore!!!

 

[MrsM]

I use my convection setting mainly for 2 or 3 trays of cookies. Reduce oven temp by at least 25 degrees from original recipe temp. Use aluminum pans, not dark pans. I find the left side of my oven runs hotter than the right, so halfway through I rotate the pans and it all works out in the end. I've never baked cakes with convection.

 

[retired baker]

You can bake anything in convection, even souffle, its all a matter of knowing how to get around problems.