[Heaven]

Ok I feel like such a failure at baking! I can't even bake a proper cake using ready cake mix! Every time I make it, it turns out too fluffy and spongy and I hate that. I want it to be condensed and creamy kinda like pound cake so what am I doing wrong??? And I've yet to bake a cake in one of those tube pans and successfully turned it out without it breaking apart so embarrassing! Am I turning it while it's still too hot?? How long do I let it cool for? Any tips???

[Amazona]

Hahaha
You scared me! I thought something had happened to J!

If it's too fluffy, maybe you're whisking the mix too much (too much air gets into the mix). The box says 2-3 minutes at high speed. Try it a little less and slower (just make sure everything is blended and you don't get lumps).

As for the other thing, I always grease the pan (with butter, it's nasty on your fingers but I use disposable gloves now) and then coat it with flour (just a little to get the whole pan white and coated).
Then after it's baked wait until it's at least warm. Don't do it right away.
And check with a knife around the borders first to see if it's loose, if not, try separating it (be gentle) with the knife between the cake and the pan and then shake it very gently a little bit to get the bottom loose.

Good luck! You CAN do this!

[Mom2M&S]

I was going to say the same thing about possibly mixing the cake for too long.

[Heaven]

Oh no Paola lol...so far I haven't had any major failures with J thank God! (I always feared accidentally dropping her when she was an itty bitty baby!)

ugh i think it's my mixer....the low setting is pretty fast for some reason. I've tried hand mixing the batter but then I end up with lots of clumps. But I think you're both right...maybe I am mixing it too much. And I do the whole greasing and coating with flour and when I flip it, it usually appears loose from the pan (I even move it around a bit with the knife) but I think it's still too hot...I just have no patience to wait for it and I'm always anxious to see how it turns out lol

The only batter that really turns out well is the quaker oats muffin mix and omg its soooo good! It's a much thicker consistency and doesn't even require the mixer...

Thanks for the tips1!

[karenwalter]

Are you using a mix that is for pound cake? If you use a regular cake mix it's not designed to be dense like the pound cake. So, it could be the mix you're using too. Sometimes if you have something specific in mind, it's easier to bake it from scratch. As long as you follow all of the measurments it should turn out fine.

Also, wait around 5-10 minutes before flipping the cake out. The cake contiues to kind of bake in the hot pan as it's cooling so that may be one of your problems.

Good luck!

[Heaven]

oppsss no im using regular cake mix lol....but i've tasted it from others where it feels alot more moist and dense...not 100% like pound cake...but not fluffy either. I just hate when it feels and tastes like a sponge..it doesn't satisfy my craving.

I have no baking esteem hence why I rely on ready packages cause I can't trust baking something from scratch! Besides...if I learn the skill, then I'd be the size of a whale by now cause id eat it all. hehe

[RobinJS]

Same as above. Try a different mix or make it from scratch. Also, I let my cakes completely cool in the pan before I turn them out.

[.H.e.a.t.h.e.r.]

Baking is my area. It's the one thing I feel really confident in my abilities. Honestly I always screw up cake mixes but when I bake from scratch (without even using a recipe) my stuff is perfect.

[karenwalter]

Heres a recipe for you to try. It's a mixture between a boxed mix and a made from scratch cake. It tastes great without even needing frosting! And it's really easy.

Very chocolate cake:

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (around 4.5 oz)
8 oz sour cream
1/2 c oil
1/2 c lukewarm water
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix cake and pudding mix. Add oil, water, and eggs and blend together.
Add sour cream and mix with electric mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes (this is really important). Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into greased bundt cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then loosen edges and turn out. Cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar (not neccessary but it makes it look nice )

[Heaven]

Oh Karen I can't wait to try it just as soon as we finish the one I made yesterday! Thanks for sharing!