First High Altitude Cake…

The teenager had his basketball banquet tonight.

It was potluck.

I decided to try and bake a cake…something I’ve been shying away from.

Figured…if it didn’t turn out, I’d just run out to the store and get a store bought cake.

My first cake attempt at an altitude of over 7,000 feet…



It may not be pretty, but at least it didn’t...

(a) explode
(b) fall flat like a pancake
(c) turn to liquid mush, which I’m told can be a frequent occurrence at higher altitudes.

Everyone here has suggestions…and I applied them all

I used a recipe from this cookbook…



It took a bit longer to get the cake into the oven.

I had to calculate the correct ingredient increase/decrease between the Cake Doctor’s recipe and the high altitude instructions on the back of the cake box, while keeping in mind what the locals had told me.

My first attempt, “Darn Good Chocolate Cake” puffed up beautifully and baked in no time.



Looking much better doctored up with confectioner’s sugar.

So I decided to give it another go and tried the “Pumpkin Spice Cake” recipe.



This, I believe, is my newest favorite recipe, especially with the orange cream cheese frosting.

But it’s equally delicious without, and healthier too.

A few "musts" I’ve learned/heard about high altitude baking…

Increase oven temperature by at leat 20 degrees to allow the batter to set-up more quickly.

Stay away from recipes calling for lots of sugar, and no baking with marshmallows...they explode!

Add additional flour, but how much is the million dollar question!

Reduce the amount of liquid.

And last but not least...

Keep your fingers crossed...and pray.

At the potluck this evening, I also learned a thing or two about how to improve on my pancakes...