Figuring out if a cake is really baked all the way is a challenge. Recipes give an oven temperature and a range of time. Recipes might indicate using a toothpick to test if the cake is done. Depending on the cake the place to test might be the center or for brownies halfway between center and sides. Others recommend touching the middle of the cake to see if it bounces back. Cheesecakes talk about the jiggle test, if the center jiggles a bit its done.
For the toothpick test one challenge is how many crumbs are ok? What constituents a proper jiggle?
Recently I have been baking French Apple Cake several times, a recipe I got from Cook’s Illustrated. It recommended the toothpick test. Using that test I got no crumbs and took the cake out. Turned out it was a fair bit short of being baked all the way. The cake has a ton of apples and depending on where the toothpick goes in it will come out without crumbs long before it is done.
So of course, I had to find a way to objectively determine when a cake is done. Several websites recommend using an instant read thermometer to test when the cake is done. This turned out to be exactly what was needed for my French Apple Cake. Baking it until the center reached 205 F is the sweet spot where the cake is baked but isn’t starting to dry out.
The pain is you have to open the oven to test the cake and this usually involves 2-4 tries before the cake is done. Each time you have to be careful not to burn your hand and each time you open the oven door the temperature drops significantly. Also, you’ll end up with either one hole that is a bit large if you test in the same spot or several holes if you move around a bit where you have tested the cake. To avoid opening the oven door I needed a mean of measuring the temperature with the door closed. I searched on line to see if there were any existing temperature probe clips that would support the probe vertically in the center. I found these clips
The next challenge was how to support the clip. I needed some sort of jig or structure to support the clip. So off to Home Depot. I figured a piece of angle “iron” would do the trick. “Iron” of course would be a bad choice as it rusts so Angle Aluminum is what I wanted. If the link isn’t working this is the Home Depot part number:887480014075
The angle was perfect and would easily support the clip but it wasn’t thick enough. The clip would slide and tip left and right very easily. The metal needed to be thicker, Home depot didn’t have anything that was thick enough in aluminum. I didn’t want to use steel as it might rust.
So, looking at the flat stock I found this material. By doubling it up with the angle the clip was firmly in place. Home Depot part number: 887480019377
I cut both pieces to be long enough to cover my cake pans with some to spare. That was about 14 inches. I drilled several holes in the angle to help circulate air. I’ll likely go back and drill some more holes. File any sharp edges.
This is my Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. I’ll post the recipe soon.
Using my ChefAlarm and probe I position the probe so that it is in the center of my cake. The tip is inserted just so that the narrow pointy part is in the batter. For thin cakes be very careful that you don’t go too far and get near or touch the bottom of the pan.
When choosing which holes in the clip to use, pick the holes nearest to the angle. For me the middle one works. If you use the farthest hole away from the angle you risk the assembly tipping.
Set the ChefAlarm high temperature for your target temperature and relax. No need to check cake until the alarm goes off. With that said you will want to experiment to see what is the sweet spot temperature wise for each type of cake you bake. The temperature will vary from cake to cake and from how you like the results versus others.
For my French Apple Cake, it is 205 F. For my cheesecake it is 145 F to get a creamier lighter result. If you like cheesecake that is a bit firmer go 150-155F. I am continuing to work on my support jig as for some cakes the aluminum angle blocks some of the oven heat causing some “banding” on lighter cakes such as the French Apple Cake. It doesn’t affect the taste and doneness, just is an appearance issue. First, I am going to try more and larger holes in the aluminum. I have some other ideas that as I try them, I will share.