carrot cake disaster

[norfolklass]

I was given two dozen eggs last week so thought I'd do some baking to use them up. I googled carrot cake and found a Jamie Oilver recipe that used five eggs: perfect! I weighed everything very carefully and put it in the oven to bake for the required 50–55 mins. almost two hours later and the middle still hadn't set, and after a bit of exploratory poking with a skewer, then a teaspoon, the middle was full of oil. mopped some of it up with kitchen roll, took it out of the cake tin, turned the whole thing upside down and put it back in the oven for another half an hour but no luck. I ended up with a crispy on the outside, still runny in the middle, carrot cake disaster that ended up in the bin.

what did I do wrong?!? ???

[norfolklass]

[Hyacinth]

N?lass, I haven't a clue - don't 'do' baking these days...BUT....I've read on other forums that Jamie's weighing & quantities, etc. aren't precise? What do others think?

[Pita]

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/low-fat-moist-carrot-cake,1130,RC.html
try this one, it never lets me down.
If you don't fancy low fat, swap the quark for marscapone.  I also add a handful or 2 of walnuts to the mix.
make sure its cool before putting the topping on.

Its the best carrot cake I have ever tasted, no matter who makes it(I have given this out to lots of people and they all love it.

happy baking
;D

[Doris_Pinks]

NL, the only thing that springs to mind is the oven temp was wrong?

I bake about 4, 8 inch square pans every week of carrot cake, (my own recipe) and they take about 70 mins at gas 4.

If you would like to give it a try it is here

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,3664.0.html

Watch out though, it is very moreish! ;D

[norfolklass]

I did wonder if it was my oven... (it's one we inherited when we moved in: an old gas cooker with eye level grill. the door seal is quite old and worn and you can feel the heat escaping when it's on)

I've still got half a dozen eggs left so I'll have another go, thanks v much for the links!

[wilko]

I did wonder if it was my oven... (it's one we inherited when we moved in: an old gas cooker with eye level grill. the door seal is quite old and worn and you can feel the heat escaping when it's on)

if it's one you'll have to live for a while,(like me  :() buy a oven thermometer, they are readily available in hardware shops, wouldn't be without mine, my oven has a mind of it's own, one time it will cremate food, and the next it won't cook at all.

[Jeannine]

Oven temp,

tip, if this happens again, mix it all together, add a bit of baking powder, bit of mositure if it needs it and re bake in muffin tins, you can often re claim it this way

OR

add more flour or oatmeal, chuck a few raisins in or choc chips , make a stiffish mixture and re bake as cookies

XX Jeannine