Dear friend Michelle D. emailed me with a common problem in Colorado. Baking at high altitude is a bitch. I used to bake bread all the time. But once I started living at a mile high plus I gave up on it after too many deflated, rubbery loaves. I also love to decorate cakes but leave the recipe up to Duncan Hines and follow their high altitude tips.
Michelle writes:
You are a high altitude cake bakin’ mama, so I have a question for you. How do you convert a cake recipe from let’s say a Bon Appetit magazine into a high altitude recipe? Is there a recommended amount of flour or sugar or something?
Thanks for all the advice!
Per High Altitude Baking: 200 Delicious Recipes & Tips for Great Cookies, Cakes, Breads & More : For People Living Between 3,500 & 10,000 Feet do the following for 3,500-6,500 feet:
Baking power – decrease each teaspoon used by 1/8 tsp.
Sugar – decrease each cup used by by 0-1 Tbsp.
Liquid – increase each cup used by 1-2 Tbsp.
If you are making an angel food or sponge cake, do not beat too much air into the eggs used in these cakes. Beat egg whites only until they form peaks that fall over, not until they are stiff and dry. Using less sugar, more flour and a higher baking temperature also helps strengthen the cell structures of these cakes.
Other tips – decrease the amount of leavening or increasing the baking temperature by 15-25 degrees F will help "set" the batter before the cells formed by leaving gasses expand too much.
Rich cakes may need less shortening, oil, butter or margarine (1-2 Tbsp. per cup used). On the other hand, the addition of an egg may help prevent a "too rich" cake from falling.
Hope this helps.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks! I found this cake recipe that sounds amazing but I wasn’t sure how to convert. I can’t wait to try this out.
Hi, I just surfed in from BlogExplosion. I LOVE your blog! :9
these recipes are great but if you really want a book of great recipes look on ebay for “the sweet tates of Oregon cookbook”, I bought a lot there so great for gifts for christmas, fun yummy recipes as well.
Does anyone have any ideas about adjusting a pecan pie recipe for elevations over 5,000 feet?
HI June,
Get a copy of Baking at High Altitude or Sharing Mtn. Recipes, By Randi Levin. Both of these books are full of recipes and tips for high altitude baking and cooking.
Yes, I did write these books, and I wrote them because too many people asked me either for this or that recipe or to explain the HOW’s for successfully baking in high altitudes.
My Tips are not based on scientific info, rather they are based on 30 years experience adjusting valued and tasty family recipes, which originated at sea level to the needs of baking and cooking in the high dry enviornment of Colorado.
By the way, the Pumpkin Pie in the Baking book is DE-licious and has been complimented over and over, I think that you may just like it.
ENJOY