Recipes

[homedecor1]

I had a pumpkin craving & am having company so decided I'd make some pumpkin goodies.

I followed the recipe directions & ended up throwing the "baked" products away...they were horrible☹️☹️☹️.  I bake a lot but don't know where I went wrong.

The muffins called for 2c. chopped apples and the base was made with veg oil, eggs & purée.  When they baked the mixture "separated" and a puddle of oil was in the bottom.

Tasted terrible.

 out they went ugh!

Then the bread/loaf was made according to recipe & baked as directed. I useda cake tester YET the middle was uncooked.  I tried putting back in oven but then the  bottom burned.🤔🙈.  

Needless to say, I'm bummed and can't imagine why they turned out so bad (not to mention the cost of the ingredients which I bought today).

Any suggestions or why this happened?  I haven't made anything pumpkin in years!  Thank you😊

PS:  I always have a oven thermometer and the oven was definitely reading 350 degrees as both recipes called for.

[Kachina624]

Poor @homedecor1 , you should have done what I did.  Blue Bell Pumpkin Spice Pecan Praline Ice Cream.  Delicious.

Did you by chance get your recipes from Facebook?  Every one of those that I've tried has been a disaster.

[aroc3435]

@homedecor1.   Gosh, I feel for you.  Stuff happens.  A year and one weekend ago I was baking a special from scratch chocolate cake for a birthday.  It looked wonderful, but when it was cut and tasted I realized something was terribly wrong.  I had been interrupted at one point and had added a measurement of salt a second time--yuck!

Years and years ago, in 1992, I was baking a large batch of brownies for my daughter to bring to school the next day.  She had told everyone how great my from scratch brownies were but when I got home from work she asked me what had happened--my Joy of Cooking brownies were awful.  I tasted one and realized that yes, once again, I had been interrupted and obviously I had failed to add the necessary sugar!  

So, I baked a new batch and had her bring those into school so that they would know that she and I were not crazy.  Told her to tell them the truth, too, about my error.  We still laugh today about my absolutely unsweet bitter terrible brownie fiasco.

So, since you've checked the oven temperature, etc., at least for the muffins is it possible that you added the oil twice or maybe there was a mistake in the recipe itself?

Believe me, I know the frustration when you have a baking fail.  Baking is not as forgiving as cooking not to mention the wasting of time and expensive ingredients with no sweet treat at the end.

Both times my mistake was not to have done the mis en place properly which I really need to do, especially when I am baking.

@Kachina624 is correct, too, that sometimes the Facebook recipes--especially for baking--are lots of times not so great.

[qbetzforreal]

@homedecor1For the muffins, I would have cooked the apples down before adding them to mixture.  Apples yield quite a bit of moisture when the cook.

As to the loaves- perhaps lower the temp of the oven. and rotate pans if you're baking more than one.

Good luck.

[dex]

@homedecor1oh I have been there so many times that I have lost confidence.I don’t make many new recipes and stick to what I do best now.I hate to waste time and ingredients...sorry that happened to you.

[homedecor1]

@Kachina624

@aroc3435

No actually I got them from my longtime friend who is a excellent baker (and superb cook)!  

She told me she had just made them & they were delicious. Apparently, she's been using these recipes for years.

I spoke to her after the disaster -- she thinks the "loaf batter" was heavy due to its made in bundt pan and I did loaf pans.  But, I don't think it was this...but who knows!

I never made any recipes from FB for the reasons you say!

@Kachina624

I agree I'll buy something oh that ice cream sounds delicious! Tomorrow I'll get my craving satisfied I'll buy a few DD pumpkin muffins.

As for company, I'll buy something eventhough it's going to "kill" me😉as I love to make homemade desserts!

[Magny]

if you’re near a Trader Joe’s, they have the best pumpkin bread mix.  Nothing bad in it, so easy & absolutely delicious.  You can add raisins, nuts etc if you like.

[Daysdee]

@Magny I buy the Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix every year.  I either make it in  a loaf pan or make 4 small loaves.  Really like it.  Sometimes I add extra cinnamon, etc.  Raisins, nuts or chocolate chips can be added.

[qualitygal]

Check out some similar recipes on Allrecipes.  I only thought the first recipe sounded like a lot of liquidy type of things were used.  I'm no expert, but I'd try and figure it out too.  If your oven was hot enough it makes me curious.  I had one that the center wasn't done right either.  Check with your friend again.  But definitely see what Allrecipes might be able to help you with.  I love pumpkin too and the smell from the oven sounds great.  Maybe it was the pans that were used. Hmmmmmmmmm

[house_cat]

Many years ago, I had a series of baking disasters which nearly caused me to stop baking altogether.  It turned out that one of my heating elements in that electric oven wasn't working, and even though the oven would reach the correct temperature, things weren't baking evenly.  Just a thought.

Also, that does sound like a very wet recipe.  Did you use the same variety of apples that you friend had used successfully?  I understand you can leave apples in a colander, over a bowl, for several hours to let the liquids drain before baking with them.

In any case, there are some recipes just not worth repeating.  The donuts I tried last week are a case in point.