Why Does My Cake Sink In The Middle? We’re sorry to hear you had this experience when making a cake. This is not uncommon and can happen for a few reasons, including not mixing all the ingredients enough, using too much flour, or overworking the pastry when rolling it out to make it thinner.
Although your thoughts may be that this makes your cake “less delicious,” we want you to understand that it is perfectly fine since there are usually no other signs of problems, and you can still eat it.
1. The Cake Is Not Fully Baked
Depending on how you bake your cake, this can be the easiest fix. If you used a pan that needed to go from the stove to the oven, you could have removed it too soon, and then it would need to finish baking in a 350-degree F oven for an additional 5 minutes.
If you use a cake pan with a removable bottom, you can take this out and put the cake back in.
How To Fix It
Put the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. If you want to ensure it is fully cooked, you can test it with a toothpick or knife and see if it comes out clean.
How To Prevent It In The Future
If using a cake pan with a removable bottom, you can ensure it is fully baked by simply checking the center with either a toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean, you are good, but if not, you will need to bake it for an additional 5 minutes at 350 degrees F.
2. The Ingredients Not Measured Correctly
If you have made a cake before, you know that if your measurements are off by a bit, it will throw off the entire recipe. For example, too much flour can create dry results, and too much milk makes the pastry wetter and more difficult to roll out.
How To Fix It
If you notice that your ingredients look too much or not enough, you should start again with a new batch of ingredients. Do this by adjusting the ingredients to the right measurements depending on whether you are using more or less.
How To Prevent It If Future
To ensure you have the correct measurements, use a kitchen scale instead of a measuring cup. This will ensure accurate measurements and help to prevent this from being an issue.
3. The Baking Powder Is Expired
When some baked goods like cakes or muffins use baking powder for leavening, there is no baking soda, which makes food rise.
When the baking powder has expired, it will not react properly when added to the liquid ingredients, causing things to be flat and dry.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When baking, always check the expiration date on the baking powder and replace it if it has gone bad. If you are making a cake, check that it is made with baking powder and not baking soda. If the baking powder is expired and it still doesn’t do anything, you should throw it away and try another brand.
4. The Baking Powder Is Too Much
It is important to use the right amount of baking powder when baking. If you use too much baking powder, nothing will rise and your recipe will not succeed.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When making a cake, check the recipe to see that it only requires one teaspoon of baking powder. If your recipe has more than this, you will need to cut back on the amount of baking powder used to ensure that everything works correctly.
5. The Ingredients Are Not At Room Temperature
If any of the ingredients are not at room temperature before mixing, mixing them won’t be easy, and these ingredients will not be able to combine properly.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When baking, always ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before making the recipe.
6. The Butter Is Too Soft
When making a cake, butter, and eggs can be very different. Butter is best at room temperature or higher, while eggs are best at room temperature or lower. If the butter is too soft and you beat them with a mixer, it will beat up and create a larger amount of air that will affect the final result of the cake.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When making cake, always use room temperature butter instead of softened butter. This is because, at room temperature, you can get more air into your butter than when it is softened, which can cause problems when making a cake.
7. The Batter Is Overmixed
When making the batter, you should never overmix it, or it will become tough. When the cake bakes, it will become dry and tough.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When making cake, always check your recipe to see that you are mixing in one direction only with an electric hand mixer. If you mix in more than one direction at a time, your cake will not be as good and could affect its taste.
8. The Cake Pan Is Incorrect
When baking a cake, you should use a pan of the right size and shape. The pan must support the cake as it cooks, allowing it to move and bake evenly. If you don’t use the correct size or shape, it may create a hollow center or uneven color on your cake.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When preparing your cake recipe, always check that you use the correct size and shape of the pan.
9. The Oven Is Not Hot Enough
If your recipe calls for an oven temperature of 350 degrees F or higher, the oven should be preheated and ready to go. If it is not at the right temperature, it will take longer to bake the cake, which can cause problems.
How To Fix It
Preheat the oven and then turn it back down to the temperature that is called for in the recipe. This will ensure that your cake is baked correctly.
How To Prevent It In The Future
Always check the oven temperature when baking and ensure it matches the recipe’s requirements. If you have an oven that runs hot, double-check to make sure the setting on the oven matches what is written in your recipe, as if it is off, all of your efforts could be ruined.
10. The Oven Door Is Shut Too Quickly Or Slowly
When baking, the oven door should be opened slowly to release the heat and humidity. If you open it too quickly, it can cause your cake to fall in the center.
How To Prevent It In The Future
When preparing your cake, always open the oven door with a crack to ensure it is ready. As soon as it is done preheating, you should leave the door ajar to let out some of the steam and heat before placing your cake inside.
How Do You Stop A Cake From Sinking In The Middle?
Well, the answer is to use an oven thermometer. If your oven goes to 200 degrees F, you will know that a 3-inch round cake should be baked for 25 minutes. If it is 350 degrees F, you should bake your cake for 1/2 hour.
What Can Cause A Cake To Sink In The Middle?
1. The batter wasn’t thick enough.
2. The oven is too hot.
3. There is not enough sugar.
4. The egg whites were not beaten stiffly enough or at all, and the cake was baked in a dish full of water, which prevented the cake from rising properly and created a crust on top instead of a fluffy texture on top and bottom as it should be.
5. The baking powder is expired, or the vanilla extract used in this recipe has gone bad.
6. The butter was too soft, and the batter was mixed with a mixer. The egg whites were not beaten stiffly enough or at all, and the cake was baked in a dish full of water, which prevented the cake from rising properly and created a crust on top instead of the fluffy texture on top and bottom should be.
7. The oven temperature was too high and caused your cake to rise in the center of the pan and then fall back down.
8. The batter was not baked long enough.
9. The butter was too soft, and the batter was mixed with a mixer. The egg whites were not beaten stiffly enough or at all, and the cake was baked in a dish full of water, which prevented the cake from rising properly and created a crust on top instead of the fluffy texture on top and bottom should be.
10. The oven temperature was too low.
11. The oven door was opened too slowly, and the cake sunk in the center due to heat retention.
12. The batter was not baked long enough, or a different pan or pan size was used, meaning that it did not get hot and cook through properly, leaving that center ridge on top of your cake instead of baking evenly all the way through.
13. The oven temperature was too low, meaning that your cake did not bake long enough, was overdone, and did not bake properly, leaving that center ridge on top of your cake instead of baking evenly throughout.
14. The oven temperature was too hot, meaning that your cake baked through too quickly and left the top of the cake with a raw taste and no time to finish baking it in the center.
15. The oven temperature was too cold, meaning that your cake baked through too slowly and made the top of the cake soggy, and the center did not bake properly.
16. The batter was not baked enough.
17. Not enough sugar was used for the amount of fruit called for in this recipe.
Can You Put A Sunken Cake Back In The Oven?
If you have underbaked a cake in the center and realize it only after it cools off, you can put it back in the oven. Always ensure your oven is at the right temperature or as close to it as possible before doing so.
If you remember that you forgot something or feel something is wrong with your cake while baking or have let it go too far, you cannot save it by reheating it. Always bake until done and not one minute longer.
Conclusion
A sunken cake is a disappointment of epic proportions in the kitchen. The good news is that it can be easily fixed if you understand what caused it and correct the problem in the future. Now, you will know how to fix a sunken cake and prevent it from happening again!
I hope this article has helped answer your question about what causes a cake to sink in the middle.
