I have been baking in strange circumstances for years. everything from antique wood fired stoves, to restaurant kitchens with too many things in the oven at once. In ideal situations i set the temperature about 10 degrees low, and start testing at the recommended time. But since ideal situations never happen, i really test as soon as i catch the first whiff of Cake Smell. I use a skewer, knife or toothpick in the middle of the cake and if it has no signs of oozy batter in the middle its done enough to coast to perfection on the counter.
depending on the type of cake ; if the cakes is a pound cake or butter layer cakes it will be golden brown on the top and start to pull away from the sides of the pan (s). Pound cakes typically take abt an hour to bake and layer cakes typically take abt 25 to 30 minutes. Always check your cakes abt 5 to 10 minutes before the designated baking time(s )
In part, this will depend on what kind of cake. But one common test is to stick a toothpick or "cake tester" into the center of the cake. It's done when the toothpick comes out clean. To prevent it from being over baked; test the cake 10 min before the time given in the recipe. Oven temps can differ.
If you go with the popular adage that when a cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, it is done, it will be over baked. I have a feeling that the saying arose from the fact that at that point it can't possibly be under baked. Baking times are at best suggestions. I typically set a timer for 5 minutes less than the recommended baking time. When the timer goes off, I gently ease the rack bearing the cake pans out of the oven and tap the top with my index finger. If it feels springy, it's done; if it feels even remotely spongy or soft, it goes back into the oven in 5-minute increments until it feels springy. Perhaps a new popular adage might be: you can always bake it longer, but you can't ever unbake it.
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