Should I increase the temperature or time if I’m baking 2 or multiple cakes

[socks]

Hello All!

Pardon me if this has been asked before ..

I’ve usually baked just 1 cake at a time. Today I put 2 cakes into the oven (did 2 burnt cheesecakes), and I realised the oven temperature is showing to be lower than usual when I’m baking just 1 cake, and they don’t brown much too! I had to increase the bake time by about 11-12mins, though I did open the oven door to check several times towards the last 10mins

Can someone kindly advise me if I should increase the bake time or temperature when baking 2 or multiple cakes? I was advised to turn the tray halfway through baking to ensure even baking but I would prefer not to open the oven door, which will affect the temperature.

Thank you!

 

[chassis]

I would do a little of both. More temp and more time. You have double the mass into which the oven must transfer heat. This will reduce oven temp compared with one cake.

Adding thermal mass to your oven will help, such as a baking stone or heavy large sautoir.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I would do a little of both. More temp and more time. You have double the mass into which the oven must transfer heat. This will reduce oven temp compared with one cake.

Adding thermal mass to your oven will help, such as a baking stone or heavy large sautoir.

This is incorrect. The oven does not transfer heat.

And adding a baking stone will only interfere with baking.

The main heating element in a home oven is in the oven floor. When the oven is turned on, the element heats the air around it. The air begins to heat the surface metals, which heats more of the surrounding air.

As the air warms, it rises, and displaces the cold air in the upper part of the oven chamber. The warm air then warms the surface metals in the upper chamber.

This is why preheating the oven is important.

Heat does not rise; heat is from the heating element. Air that is heated from the heating element rises.

So a solid block like a baking stone or steel placed across the oven rack will block the flow of the air and disrupt the baking.

A baking stone is only used to bake directly on (pizza, bread); and only when it is preheated at high temperature for a significant amount of time.

Baking more than one cake does not require increased temperature. It simply requires baking until done.

In a convection oven with 12 cakes on three racks, the temperature will be 275°F. Maybe less.

I bake a 2/3 sheet cake, which is the largest sheet pan that fit in a home oven, at 325°F. I routinely bake two and three cakes at 325°F.

In fact I rarely ever use a temperature above 325°F for a cake in a home oven.

Home bakers are stuck on the concept of recipes and baking to a time. They think just because somebody wrote bake for 35 minutes that cake is supposed to pop out of the oven in 35 minutes. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[chassis]

This is incorrect. The oven does not transfer heat.

And adding a baking stone will only interfere with baking.

The main heating element in a home oven is in the oven floor. When the oven is turned on, the element heats the air around it. The air begins to heat the surface metals, which heats more of the surrounding air.

As the air warms, it rises, and displaces the cold air in the upper part of the oven chamber. The warm air then warms the surface metals in the upper chamber.

This is why preheating the oven is important.

Heat does not rise; heat is from the heating element. Air that is heated from the heating element rises.

So a solid block like a baking stone or steel placed across the oven rack will block the flow of the air and disrupt the baking.

A baking stone is only used to bake directly on (pizza, bread); and only when it is preheated at high temperature for a significant amount of time.

Baking more than one cake does not require increased temperature. It simply requires baking until done.

In a convection oven with 12 cakes on three racks, the temperature will be 275°F. Maybe less.

I bake a 2/3 sheet cake, which is the largest sheet pan that fit in a home oven, at 325°F. I routinely bake two and three cakes at 325°F.

In fact I rarely ever use a temperature above 325°F for a cake in a home oven.

Home bakers are stuck on the concept of recipes and baking to a time. They think just because somebody wrote bake for 35 minutes that cake is supposed to pop out of the oven in 35 minutes. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hi @Norcalbaker59 sorry but you are incorrect on the heat transfer comment. My apologies for needing to correct you on this. A more precise way to say it is the air in the oven transfers heat into the product.

The stone or mass when not directly in contact with the product or baking pan creates stored energy and stabilizes temperature in a small home oven. Your reply agrees with this without directly saying so.

I find your reply argumentative and smart-alecky. Was this your intent?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi @Norcalbaker59 sorry but you are incorrect on the heat transfer comment. My apologies for needing to correct you on this. A more precise way to say it is the air in the oven transfers heat into the product.

The stone or mass when not directly in contact with the product or baking pan creates stored energy and stabilizes temperature in a small home oven. Your reply agrees with this without directly saying so.

I find your reply argumentative and smart-alecky. Was this your intent?

i’m sorry but you’re incorrect

The oven is designed specifically for the air to rise because heat does not rise. that is why the heating element is in the floor of the oven.

It’s about the equilibrium of the air in the oven. The air has to move freely in the oven chamber. That’s why there’s racks in the oven, to allow the air to move. It’s the basics of thermodynamics. And I’m sorry if you dont like the explanation. I didn’t come up with the explanation, the manufactures of the ovens did. And if you go to a tradeshow this is what they’re going to tell you. So if you don’t like the explanation go complain to them.


When you place a baking steel or stone inside the oven, block the flow of air.

The baking stone and steel is actually designed as a direct baking surface.

It place it low in the oven near the oven floor. It is then heated at high temperature for about an hour. Then you bake directly on the surface deck oven.

and I didn’t come up with that either. I own these pieces of equipment. And this is how I have been taught to use them and the explanation of why I am to use them this way.

if you don’t want to learn anything then get off the site.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

oh, And the baking sheets block the air
flow in a home home.

That’s why the baking industry came up with the commercial convection oven. Fans circulate the warm air around each rack, and between each pan/sheet. That was the whole point of the explanation of home ovens at the trade show. How’s that for smart-alecky.

 

[TSun]

I noticed she said the temperature appeared to be lower when she was baking just one cake. You might want to check your temperature with a thermometer in the oven to see if it is jiving with what you set the temperature for. You may have an element that is bad or going bad and thus the lower temperature. My KA oven has a bad sensor, broken element and bad panel … waiting on parts..

 

[retired baker]

Hi @Norcalbaker59 sorry but you are incorrect on the heat transfer comment. My apologies for needing to correct you on this. A more precise way to say it is the air in the oven transfers heat into the product.

The stone or mass when not directly in contact with the product or baking pan creates stored energy and stabilizes temperature in a small home oven. Your reply agrees with this without directly saying so.

I find your reply argumentative and smart-alecky. Was this your intent?

I think what you're saying is the stone adds mass, it should help.
I regularly fill my oven at home, I mean really fill it, I get a lot more product on a tray than most bakers and use all the shelves, it requires really thorough preheating as norcal says.
I'll often start the oven at 425 then drop the heat to 375 for something that should bake at 350.
Home ovens are so bad for me. Thermostat in mine is slow to react, then it over shoots.