Has anyone tried this at high altitude (Denver)? Any adjustments that helped? Last chocolate cake I tried came out flat even with alt. changes. Th...

...anks

Sam
  • Posted by: Sam
  • August 15, 2013
  • 5340 views
  • 8 Comments
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Recipe question for: Chocolate Bundt Cake

8 Comments

boulangere August 17, 2013
Oh good. I hope your results improve, all!
 
Sam August 16, 2013
Thanks, Cynthia. I'll give it a try this weekend and report back on the results. I just have to go buy a bundt pan first!
 
savorthis August 16, 2013
I'm glad you weighed in Cynthia. I do like to bake occasionally but I am no scientist when it comes to baking. I'd have no patience for figuring all that out...my dad used to lecture me on altitude and the whys and hows and I felt like the dog in a Far Side comic (blah blah Ginger blah blah)!
 
boulangere August 15, 2013
Additional P.S. If you don't have a cat, get one. They're invaluable for times like this.
 
JanetFL August 15, 2013
HA, Cynthia! Thanks so much for the advice....including getting a cat. I do have two stray cats but they are particular!
 
boulangere August 15, 2013
P.S. JanetFL, for an additional 2000 feet in elevation, decrease your baking powder by 50%, increase flour by 9% and eggs by 14%. To obtain a fraction of an egg, opt for halves; crack the egg to be divided into a bowl and whisk it up. Pour off (about) what you need, and feed the rest to the cat.
 
boulangere August 15, 2013
I wrote the high altitude baking section for The Bakers Dozen Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Dozen-Cookbook-Rick-Rodgers/dp/0060186283/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376614559&sr=1-2&keywords=the+bakers+dozen), compiled from among the members of a baking group begun by Marion Cunningham and her piercing blue eyes. My daughter lives in Boulder and has issues identical to yours. For your elevation in Denver, decrease your baking powder by 40%, increase your flour by 6.5%, and increase your eggs by 10%. By decreasing the leavening, you're slowing down the rising process; by increasing the protein components, you're giving them a chance to coagulate around the tiny pockets of carbon dioxide and hold your cake in its beautifully risen shape.
 
JanetFL August 15, 2013
Baking at high altitude = frustration! I am at higher altitude than you are by about 2000 feet. Lately, I've been reducing sugar by about 1/4 cup; baking powder by 1/2 teaspoon; baking soda by 1/2 teaspoon. It definitely seems to be hit or miss for me. Maybe savorthis will see this and chime in. She bakes, though does not eat, the fruits of her efforts in Denver.
My most memorable baking experience at 7700 feet was an angel food cake that turned into a hockey puck!
 
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