Baking Disasters - Microwave Combi Oven

Our answer

From the description it sound to us as if the cakes are becoming over baked. A cake which is baked for too long will become dry and hard (and eventually scorched at the edges). Large pores in the cake can be a result of the raising agents (baking powder/bicarbonate of soda/baking soda) not being mixed in properly so they should be whisked thoroughly or sifted with the flour before the flour is added to the cake batter.

If you are using a combination of microwave and convection oven to cook the cake then we suggest that you switch to only using the convection function on your oven when baking cakes as this is likely to give the best results. Cakes can also be baked on microwave function only (we suggest you check your handbook for guides on timings) but using the two functions together could be causing the over baking, particularly if you are cooking to the timings in a conventional recipe. It is also worth noting that convection ovens tend to cook more quickly than conventional ovens so you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20c/50F or use a shorter baking time - again you handbook should give some guidelines.