Last Updated on 20th July 2023 by
If you own a convection oven or are looking to get one, you probably have some questions about how it differs from a regular oven. It will cook your food differently, so you cannot use the same recipes you would use for a traditional oven with your convection oven.
Baking cake in a convection oven is a bit different because of how the air circulates. Instead of coming from heating elements below the food, the heat is circulated by fans. What this does is heat everywhere evenly. So, all of your food is heated on all sides at the same time. That works great for certain foods, and convection ovens are preferred for making pizzas, roasted veggies, and pastries, at least by some cooks and bakers. However, not all foods cook well in convection ovens.
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What to Know about Baking Cake in Convection Oven
Cake isn’t ideal for baking in this kind of oven, and that’s because of the light batter. If you compare cake batter to pastry dough or pizza dough, you will see that the cake is much lighter in its raw form. bread is heavier, because it has a thick dough, so any kind of bread product should cook fairly well in the convection oven.
Lighter batter, like that of a cake, is not going to cook very well in this oven. Baking cake in a convection microwave oven can create a different texture than cooking it in a traditional oven.
What happens to cake batter when you place it to bake in this kind of oven? The circulating heat will flatten out the dough by removing the air bubbles. Instead of light, fluffy cake, it can come out rubbery and flat and have a tougher, chewier consistency. It can still be palatable, but you might not recognise it as cake.
Some kinds of cakes may fall apart in the convection oven, if you don’t adjust any settings. You can end up with a crumbled cake that is in pieces rather than a stable, fluffy cake. You may want to check how to adjust time when baking a cake in a convection oven from the original recipe so that your cake comes out properly. I will cover that for you later on to answer any questions you might have about that particular issue.
The baking time definitely is different for any cake recipe depending on whether you are using a traditional oven or a convection oven.
You also might need to turn of the fan in the oven so your cake batter doesn’t flatten as much. What’s great about convection oven for baking cakes is how much room you have, though. You usually get enough space to bake several cakes at once. You also get a food that is evenly baked, and your food comes out crispier and flakier. That’s great for cooking pastries and for brownies sometimes as well, but you may need to make some adjustments to use your convection oven for baking cakes.
Adjust Your Convection Oven for Cake Baking
You can still use an oven to bake your cake in, but you do need to know about the steps to take for proper baking in the convection oven. This is true of baking cake in convection mode in a microwave oven as well. Some small adjustments and changes need to be made to make it work.
Start by preheating your oven to whatever the recipe calls for and then reduce that by 25 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need to do the conversion from Celsius if you are using a recipe with Celsius measurements or an oven with a Celsius reading. Just reduce the Fahrenheit reading by 25 degrees and convert to Celsius.
If you are cooking a very large cake, you will need to adjust the temperature only slightly, reducing it by just 5 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
When baking cake in Samsung microwave convection oven or in any other kind of convection oven, leave space between the pans. There needs to be about two inches between each pan that is placed side by side. You should also avoid covering the baking pans with aluminium foil. These adjustments allow for better heat circulation and more even heating.
Convection ovens will cook faster than traditional ovens, so you need to stay on top of your cake. Check it before it is supposed to come out, and you should definitely check it about 10 minutes before it is set to finish. It might be done already by that point.
This is especially important if you are using the convection oven for the first time to bake a cake. You may not be quite sure how the oven will treat your cake, so take precautions and check the cake early to see if it is done.
What to use for convection cake baking? You can try baking a cake in cold glass pan in convection oven or using a metal baking pan. Either one should work fine, and the convection oven should not make much of a difference whether you use one or the other.
Special Considerations for Cheesecakes
The cheesecake is a different kind of cake to your fluffy chocolate cake. It cooks differently and requires different adjustments when cooking it in a convection oven. You can’t use the same modifications I just told you about and expect your cheesecake to be okay.
The temperature for baking a cheese cake in convection oven is very important. If the recipe calls for 350 degrees Fahrenheit for baking your cheesecake, then you should take it down to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of an hour in cook time, just cook for 30-40 minutes. Once again, check before the time is up to ensure that you don’t overcook your cake.
When you take the cheesecake out, do not set it into the fridge right away to cool down. Let it cool down at room temperature and set it on a rack. This ensure that the cheesecake doesn’t crack on you and stays stable until it is ready to be eaten.
If you are in doubt about using your convection oven and what temperature to cook the food at, how long to cook it for, and whether to turn off the fan or change another setting, try to look up a recipe specifically made for a convection oven. That will be the safest best, but if you can’t find that, then just make the adjustments I have given you here to ensure your cake turns out great.
FAQs
What are the differences between baking a cake in a conventional oven versus a convection oven?
Conventional ovens heat from the bottom up, which can lead to uneven cooking, particularly for baked goods like cakes. Convection ovens, on the other hand, use a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven, creating a consistent temperature for more even baking. This can result in a more uniformly baked cake.
What adjustments need to be made to the recipe or baking time when using a convection oven?
When baking a cake in a convection oven, it’s generally recommended to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit compared to what is called for in the recipe. Also, since a convection oven circulates hot air for even baking, the cake may bake faster than in a conventional oven. Check for doneness around 10 to 15 percent sooner than the original recipe suggests.
Are there certain types of cakes that bake better in a convection oven?
While many cakes can be successfully baked in a convection oven, it’s particularly good for cakes that are larger or have a more delicate structure. This is because the even heat distribution can help to ensure that the cake bakes uniformly, without the edges becoming too done before the center is fully cooked. Cakes with multiple layers or complex shapes may also benefit from the consistent temperatures of a convection oven.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
Dianne
Sunday 18th of December 2022
ibake pound cake, they havent come out right'dont no what do.i am struck with a stove and its useless.Cant not return it
Sabrina Kuhn
Tuesday 22nd of November 2022
Hello, my best friend is a cake baker and I’d love to purchase the right air fryer/ convection oven for baking cakes. She really needs an extra oven. Can you please give me any recommendations on the best options? Thank you very much, Miss Sabrina
Ruth Forbes
Friday 17th of December 2021
Shouldn’t the cheesecake be baked at 325 not 225?
Mary
Sunday 15th of August 2021
Hi thank-you for this valuable information. I recently bought a new stove with convection oven, and I must say before reading your tips I was pretty stressed wondering if I had done a good purchase Thanks again looking forward to using my new oven.