When oven bakes unevenly

[H.C. Heartland]

My oven seems to bake my cakes unevenly. I have to turn the tray to try to get them to rise at equal portions but it rarely works out. Does anyone have any tips for what I can do to solve the problem. I think the way the door shuts might be letting in too much air; but I'm not sure how to seal it since I have to open it again.

 

[tangela]

I used to have a problem like this with my old oven. Is it uneven in terms of the left and right side or the top and bottom? Or the front/back?

Mine used to be the front/back so what I would do is actually turn it around half-way through so both sides can get some of the "hotter" side. It worked out fine for me, though it may have to do with what your oven is like or how it functions.

 

[sweetkymom]

My husband and I usually have to slice into our cakes to make them as even as we can get them. Its not as bag or as hard as you think to do. Sometimes the uneven cakes are for the better when it comes to uneven cake designs.

 

[H.C. Heartland]

I used to have a problem like this with my old oven. Is it uneven in terms of the left and right side or the top and bottom? Or the front/back?

Mine used to be the front/back so what I would do is actually turn it around half-way through so both sides can get some of the "hotter" side. It worked out fine for me, though it may have to do with what your oven is like or how it functions.

Yes its a problem with the front/back. That's what I try to do as well. Once you know the problem, its not so bad but every once in awhile I'm busy and so I forget to turn and then it turns out undercooked on one end and burnt on the other.

 

[mommy42]

I've been having a problem with my oven not baking things like breads, cakes or cupcakes all the way through. The outside appears done and a toothpick comes out clean, but the inside turns out to be raw! we even checked the calibration. So, hoping it was a fluke because my daughter is going to try to make homemade cinnamon roles this weekend.
I'd just like a new double oven - but we just had to buy a new fridge so I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Sigh!

 

[Zyni]

My oven seems to bake my cakes unevenly. I have to turn the tray to try to get them to rise at equal portions but it rarely works out. Does anyone have any tips for what I can do to solve the problem. I think the way the door shuts might be letting in too much air; but I'm not sure how to seal it since I have to open it again.

This is the simplest, quickest way to deal with it, but the fact is that your stove/oven is not level. There are little "feet" or knobs on the bottom that need to be adjusted to level it. If you have someone who can do that for you, great. If not, you may have to keep turning those cakes for a while until you can get some assistance.

 

[H.C. Heartland]

This is the simplest, quickest way to deal with it, but the fact is that your stove/oven is not level. There are little "feet" or knobs on the bottom that need to be adjusted to level it. If you have someone who can do that for you, great. If not, you may have to keep turning those cakes for a while until you can get some assistance.

Thank you so much! I cannot believe it never dawned on me that it was the oven itself. I don't know what I thought it was! I'm going to make sure and level it tomorrow and see what I can bake to test it out. I'm thinking brownies might do the trick, because after all - even if brownies are bumpy they still go down nice and smooth!

 

[Zyni]

Thank you so much! I cannot believe it never dawned on me that it was the oven itself. I don't know what I thought it was! I'm going to make sure and level it tomorrow and see what I can bake to test it out. I'm thinking brownies might do the trick, because after all - even if brownies are bumpy they still go down nice and smooth!

My pleasure. I hope it makes things easier for you.

I like your thought process. How could brownies be bad? Just the aroma when they're baking brightens up the day.

 

[smdabbs]

When we moved to our new house, there was an old oven already here. I used a trick my grandma taught me for finding 'hot spots' in my oven.

I just lay slices of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet, set to 350 and check after a few minutes. It quite literally maps out the hot spots in your oven, and if you don't see any it's probably not level.

 

[AuntJamelle]

smdabbs - That is brilliant! I will be doing that! Have struggled with double ovens since we moved in! I think I've figured out the top oven but need to "decode" the bottom one too!