Why A Cake Fails: {Troubleshooting Tip Sheet}
Sometimes it happens even with a favorite recipe we’ve used time and time again…a cake flops! But why? It’s usually nothing too major but even the littlest thing can make a difference in your just-baked cakes. Here are several troubleshooting tips that can help you determine the problem so you won’t make the same mistake twice…
Sometimes Even Tried & True Cake Recipes Can Flop
Why A Cake Turns Out With A Hump:
- The oven was too hot when baking started
- Too much flour used
Why It Baked With A Dark Bottom:
- Pan too deep or too large, keeps top from browning
- Dark pans absorb too much heat, place on higher oven rack (same with pyrex)
- Pan was warped which caused uneven browning
Why Deep Cracks In The Cake:
- Temperature too high
- Too much flour
- Too much baking powder
Why The Cake Has Fallen:
- Temperature too low
- Peeked while baking
- Removed from oven too early
- Too much shortening
- Not enough flour
- Too much sugar
- Too much baking soda
- Too much baking powder
Why The Cake Has Too Coarse A Texture:
- Temperature too low
- Batter over mixed
- Too much baking powder
- Too much flour
Why The Cake Is Running-Over:
- Temperature too low
- Pan too small
- Too much baking powder
- Too much sugar
Why The Cake Is Tough:
- Temperature too hot
- Not enough shortening
- Not enough sugar
- Too much flour
Why The Cake Is Too Doughy:
- Temperature too low
- Left in pan too long after removing from oven
Why The Cake Is Too Light In Color:
- Temperature too low
- Another cake pan too near while baking
Why The Edges Are Too Brown:
- Oven too full
- Cake pan touching another cake pan or oven wall
Why The Cake Turned Out Too Small:
- Temperature too high
- Not enough baking powder
- Over mixed batter
- Pan too large
When cooking multiple layer cakes, be sure the cake pans do not touch each other. This will cause the cakes to fall.
my cake and bread always turned out so dense not soft and fluffy, and inside sometimes brown on the outside but in the middle still not done. Please help.
has it got something to do with your oven?
I use to make the best pound cake around for years. Now everytime I bake one it runs over and it is the same recipe and it is also a newer oven so it can,t be the temp like i thought
My pound cake taste lovely but all the mixed fruits ends at the bottom, mum says I don’t mix enough, after all her tips still mixed fruits at the bottom, help… thank you
put the fruit in a dry bowl and add a bit of flour, try to coat all the fruit. this should help to prevent the fruit from sinkin. The other problem could be that your cake mixture is too thin.
Every time I bake a cake, it only rises in the middle and are very small on the sides. Why? Can you help?
try spreading the mixture evenly and put a bit of a dip in the centre – this should help the cake rise evenly