Not Quite Right Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake

[BakerAunt]

I've been making this KAF recipe for five or six years, and it always comes out perfectly. This year the cake was dry, and I'm not sure why.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/favorite-fudge-birthday-cake-recipe

I was using a different oven--the one that does not have the top element heat--and I'd not done this cake in it. Possibly the oven was an issue, but I did use an oven thermometer.

The recipe calls for instant Clearjel. I used up what I had bought several years ago and have no plans to buy more, since I use regular Clearjel for canning. So, I used the KAF recommended 2 Tbs. cornstarch instead.

I forgot to soak my cake strips to put around the pans. I tried running them under water, but I don't think that got them wet enough. The cakes domed significantly. I also forgot to "build" the batter up on the sides to try to get a more even top.

I may have overbaked it because the tester came out with chocolate at the end of the shortest time.

I used half and half in the filling and the ganache. For the filling, I used equal parts Ghirardelli dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate. It was pretty thick and maybe didn't soak into the layers as much as usual. For the ganache, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and half and half, and it was not as thick.

I couldn't shut the finished cake up in plastic as I usually do because the doming made it too tall for the container I always use. I have a taller cake container, but it alas is packed. I have had to settle for parking the top on the rim of the bottom, so it is not air tight.

Our guests pronounced the cake wonderful. My husband and I, talking later, both agreed it is a bit dry.

So--was it baking too long that made it dry? Or, should I consider buying the instant Clearjel for when I bake it again next year?

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[Mike Nolan]

The oven may have been the biggest difference, how it preheats and the range of temperatures it goes through each time it cycles (engineers call this hysteresis) can both affect the cake, as could some of the other factors you mentioned.

Was it more dry along the edges than in the center? That could be the cake strips. (I've got some but haven't ever used them.)

Isn't a new oven part of the kitchen remodeling, meaning you'll be using a new oven again next year?

[BakerAunt]

Yes, the cake was drier on the outer portion than the center. I've made a note on the recipe next to the oven temperature to put the cake strips into soak when I pre-heat the oven. I've used them in the past, and they work well. The pans I used were the USA pans.

Yes, I will have a Wolf dual fuel range when we get the kitchen finished. I'm looking forward to baking in it. The electric range in the apt. is one that was here when we bought the place.

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