Cake went bust!! help..?!
baking experts can you pelase tell me what i did wrong..
Answers: hi i love baking cakes and they normally come out great.. but this time i made a cake it rose beautifully about 20 mints into the cooking and then went flat.. i wonder why??
baking experts can you pelase tell me what i did wrong..
I wonder if you accidental put in too much baking powder? It is so easy to get distracted while measuring,that is why the golden rule in a bakery is to measure first and talk later. I worked as a baker in a private club and had just bragged to the chef that I could put together and bake my chocolate cake with my eyes closed. The cakes came out looking a little peculiar so I broke one open to check it out. Peculiar did not do it justice, disgusting was the only word that fit. In my arrogance I forgot to add the sugar. I never did that one again. I faithfully double check all my ingredients and never talk on the phone while measuring. So, the best information I can share with you is to read your recipe twice, measure very carefully and give total attention to what you are doing until it is safely in the oven. In the event that something still goes wrong then I would say it was the ingredients. Try again, have fun and don't give up. Some of the best recipes began as mistakes.
I was cooking a pound cake one time and it did the same thing. I usually used margarine but this time decided to use real butter and that made mine flop. Also my mom use to not let us move around the stove to much until her cakes had risen because of too much vibration.
Some Reasons Why Cakes Sink or Fall In The Middle:
Cakes will sink or fall because:
1). Overbeating – too much air is incorporated into batter.
2). Underbaking - Oven temperature too low and/or too short a baking time.
3). Over or under measurement of liquid or under measurement of flour.
4). Using too small or large of a baking pan.
5). Moving or jarring cake before sufficiently baked or opening the oven door before cake sets.
Note: Only open oven door if absolutely needed, one-half to three-quarter's way through baking.
6). The most common error has to do with the oven temperature. Make sure you have an oven thermometer to test your oven for accuracy.
7). Depending on the recipe if you fold in egg whites, if not beaten fully or folded in too harshly, the cake could fall.
8). Even creaming the butter and sugar too much or too little can cause problems.
Sinking Cakes
Several factors could contribute to this. There may be too much air incorporated in the cake batter, caused by over beating of the fat, egg or sugar before the flour was added, or too much sugar or baking powder was used. If the fault is due to too much sugar, the crust will also have a dark colour and there will be a u-shaped sticky seam running through.
The cake could also sink in the centre because it is under baked, either due to too low a temperature or too short baking time. This will be confirmed by a wet seam just below the top crust. Use a reliable thermometer and check it often for accuracy.
A knock, a sudden draught of cold air or moving the cake before the ingredients have set may also result in the centre collapsing. This is commonly caused by opening the oven door and/or slamming it shut. The oven door should not be opened at all unless it is absolutely necessary and then only after at least half to three quarters of the baking time has passed. A sudden knock will remove the aeration from the cake, resulting in a flat, collapsed cake.
Too much liquid will cause the cake to sink not only in the centre, but also on the sides. The batter may have too much liquid because more liquid than required was used or because too little flour was used. During the baking, much of the liquid becomes steam and actually contributes to the aeration of the cake. However, once the cake is removed from the oven, the steam condenses into water and settles at the bottom of the cake. This fault is confirmed by the presence of a wet seam just above the bottom crust. As the steam condenses, the cake collapses.
Egg whites must be beaten thoroughly, but folded into the batter gently to avoid the cake from sinking in the middle. Cakes may also sink if the baking pan used is too large or too small.
A cake may also have a peaked top, which is often caused by using flour with too high a gluten content. Flour with a medium to high gluten content will result in a heavy textured, non-risen cake that is tough and has an unattractive peaked appearance. The same will be the consequence of over mixing the batter when adding the flour. A peaked top could also be the result of baking in an oven that is too hot. This will result in a crust forming too soon and the cake only rising in the centre. Similarly, if there is not enough steam in the oven to help prevent the formation of a crust until the cake is fully aerated and set, the cake will have a peaked top.
A cake that does not rise properly could be due to a lack of aeration, because the batter was not beaten properly, or due to using too little sugar or baking powder. The flour must also be sieved well, twice or three times, to ensure enough air is incorporated into the mixture.
A course and tough crumb is also caused by over mixing the batter when the flour is added. This could also be due to not using enough baking powder.
Sometimes a tougher cake batter is required, for example when using fruit in the cake. To ensure the fruit does not sink to the bottom, the batter needs to be tougher to carry the weight of the fruit. If the fruit is sinking to the bottom, if may be due to over beating, using too much sugar or baking powder, or using a weak flour.
Avoid a cake from over-browning by getting to know the hot and cold spots in the oven and ensuring the cake is placed on the middle with a tray on the top shelf to deflect the heat from the top. The cake could also be lightly covered with tin foil.
Hope this helps and have a great day/night!!!
K