Maytag ACM1580A Owner's Manual page 23

Common Baking Problems
Adjusting to a new oven can be hard, especially making a change to a convection oven. If you begin to notice consistent
problems refer to the chart below for possible solutions.
Problem
Lopsided cakes
(bake unevenly)
Cakes, cookies,
biscuits too brown
on bottom or top
Pies don't brown
Cakes not done in
center
Cakes fall
Excessive shrinkage
Cakes high in middle
Cause
Pans touching each other or oven walls.
Batter spread unevenly in pan.
Incorrect use of aluminum foil.
Oven is not level.
Oven not preheated.
Pans touching each other or oven walls.
Using glass, darkened, warped or dull finish metal
pans.
Incorrect use of aluminum foil.
Oven temperature too high.
Using shiny metal pans.
Temperature set too low.
Temperature too high.
Pan too small.
Baking time too short.
Pan not centered in oven.
Too much shortening or sugar.
Too much or too little liquid.
Temperature too low.
Old or too little baking powder.
Pan too small.
Oven door opened frequently (peeking).
Insufficient baking.
Too little leavening.
Mixing batter too long.
Pan too large.
Oven temperature too high.
Baking time too long.
Temperatures set too high.
Overmixing.
Too much flour.
Pans touching each other or oven walls.
Baking Notes:
• Test cakes for doneness. Because
of variances across individual
ovens, it is best to test for the prop-
er consistency rather than solely
relying on time and visual appear-
ance as an indicator.
• Cake problems may be in the mix-
ing of the batter. Overbeating can
cause cake structure to break
down and excessive shrinkage of
the cake. Underbeating can result
in lumpy cakes that may not be
cooked thoroughly. All ingredients
should be at room temperature—
not out of the refrigerator. Make
sure to follow the recipes directions
for how long the batter should be
mixed.
• Allow cake to cool in cake pan on a
rack for 10 minutes before remov-
ing. Larger cakes (over 14 inches in
diameter) may take 15 minutes. If
the cake has cooled too long,
reheat in the oven at 250° F for a
few minutes.
• Make sure to follow recipe direc-
tions and use butter or margarine
when it is listed. Using a low fat
substitute can cause a recipe to
fail.
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