Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I just baked some molasses ginger muffins and they taste great, but each one has a depressed middle. Instead of a nice dome top, the tops are concave. Anyone have an idea what might have caused this?

ilene

Leavening would be my guess.

Amy

It called for a tsp and a half of baking soda (and the soda was fresh). That was my first thought too, but I couldn't figure out why. I did not make any adjustments for altitude and I did not use the convection mode. It was a wet dough. Should I have added more baking soda?
They taste great and i wouldmake them again if I could solve the problem.
ilene

Ilene,
I bake cheese puffs on muffin pans, and noticed that the first batch will always have a depressed middle, and the following batches will have the dommed top.
I came to the conclusion that the temperature of the pans make the difference.
Don't know if I am correct, but after baking cheese puffs for the last twenty years, and the same thing happening everytime, can't think of anything else.
ps: the dough for the cheese puffs is also wet.

Thanks wallflour....that could explain it. I did them all in one batch with multiple muffin tins, so don't know if a secind batch would have behaved the same way. Next time, I'll experiment with pre heated muffin tins.
ilene

Ilene, in my oven (soon to be replaced!) I can't do 2 tins at a time of muffins/cupcakes. If I do they sink. Single tins of the same recipe do not do so. I think Crystal has the same issue.
edit to add that that combo of muffin sounds great and will you share the recipe?

Can we have the recipe please?

They were yummy and I will post the recipe when I get to my computer.

here is the recipe (it is from MS, "Entertaining")

Ginger Muffins

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp each ground ginger and cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Grated rind of a large orange
1/2 cup boiling water
4 tablespoons sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter or veg spray muffin pans.

Melt butter in molasses and cool. Beat egg and sugar until fluffy.
Sift dry ingredients together and add to the egg mixture alternately with the molasses mixture, mixing well after each addition.
Add the rind, boiling water, salt and sour cream. blend well.
Fill muffin tins halfway and bake until puffed (about 15 minutes)

Recipe says to serve with apple butter or ginger cream cheese. I chopped crystalized ginger and added it to whipped cream cheese and topped the muffins (to disguise the concave top) as if the cheese mix was icing.

Enjoy,
ilene