JD - when you say "cake pan," what size do you mean, and where are you putting it? If you're placing it on a shelf, between the meat and the smoke box, that may very well be part of your problem. A 9" round cake pan would create a big heat shield; a rectangular pan, even more. Most of us put our liquid in something like a mini-loaf pan, and set it on the floor of the smoker, tucked right up against the element (smoke box). The idea is to heat that pan, as efficiently as possible, and not block the heat rising to the meat. Just my 2¢...