wilkes

No kids, but I waited to make the second cake after everyone was asleep (even the dog), and I was upstairs in my home office. So there was absolutely no movement at all the second time.

Good tip, Newme. I have a meat thermometer, so I'll see if I can use that to measure the temp. Even if that does turn out to be the problem, I'll see about replacing the baking element, too, Satan; for $30, it beats buying a new oven!

Do you have kids running around the house? My mom always used to send us outside or make us sit still when she was baking a cake. She told us all our running around would make the cake fall!

My oven was doing the same thing. I got a thermometer and figured out how off my oven was and now know to cook everything 15 degrees above what the recipe calls for. I think someone on here even told me to do that.

I highly doubt it was the cake mix. That is just too big of a coincidence.

I feel you Jason. We have two heat pumps out, crack in shower basin, two ceiling fans that have stopped working, four bald tires and a computer screen on the verge of going kaput. No money to fix any of this. What else can go wrong? I shouldn't have asked that.

oops! forgot one helpful hint open the oven door a few inches and lift up it will slide off the hinges and it makes the bolts that hold the burner sooo much easier to get at

if it is burnt out it will be pretty easily seen they kind of melt

lol ! if it got hot it probably ain't the oven . if it is the oven its prob just the bake element simple do it your self $30.00 repair
just remember to unplug it first takes maybe 15 minutes and a pair of pliers bob young apliances bottom of second st hill
(mine was $31.50 ish tax and all a week ago )

save the box there should be a customer service ph# or web site
complain give them all the # and codes off the box and they might send you a coupon for a replacement. i know lotta trouble for a couple of $ but its your couple of $. i've had a couple of company's send me coupons for replacements

I knew you would say that! It's too much of a coincidence to have 2 bad cake mixes in a row (from 2 different stores), unless others are having the same problem and Betty Crocker sent out a completely bad batch.

If those are the only 2 possibilities, then it has to be the oven. Why not? The heat pump went out, and the well is just sucking up mud, so it fits that the oven would go bad, too

Sounds to me like you either got a bad cake mix or your oven needs a visit from a repair man.

This has happened twice in a row, and I'm lost.

I'm baking a double-layer cake. Specifically, a Betty Crocker Super Moist Butter Pecan cake. I have 2 round, non-stick 9" pans, and a conventional oven with a flat surface.

The first time, I baked it like I usually do, but the cake didn't look like it rose. The middle had risen, but about 1" around the outside didn't. When you cut it, along the bottom there was about 1/2" of the inside was dense and dark.

I assumed that it wasn't mixed enough or something, so tonight I made another one. This time, I followed the directions to the letter: I mixed on low for 30 seconds, followed by mixing on medium for 2 minutes; I used fresh eggs, and baked it at 325 per the directions (I usually do 350).

This time, though, was even worse. Not even the middle rose; the whole thing was thin and dense.

What's up? Is there a problem with the brand, or am I suddenly just doing something wrong? I've made this brand and flavor dozens of times, and never had this happen, but now twice in a row?