The convective oven cake baking process was investigated by experimental and numerical methods as a simultaneous heat and mass transfer process. A mathematical model was established representing cake baking in finite cylinder geometry. The heat and mass transfer mechanisms were defined by Fourier's and Fick's second laws, respectively. The implicit alternating direction finite difference technique was used for the numerical solution of the representative model, where the initial and boundary conditions were defined in accordance with the nature of the cake baking process. The numerical solution of the model simulated the process, and predicted temperature and moisture profiles within the baking cake batter as output, considering the volume increase. Prior to the utilization of the developed model in predicting the temperature and moisture profiles for cup cake baking, the results of the numerical model were compared with analytical results involving only heat or mass transfer with constant thermophysical properties. Excellent agreement was observed. The simulated results for cup cake baking agreed generally well with the experimental temperature and moisture profiles recorded during a complete cake baking process. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.