I know the open the door problem but if the door hasn't been opened what are the variables that cause a cake to sink during cooking. My confusion is because it doesn't do it every time which means I'm not consistent about something but not sure what.
It is a devils food cake with bicarb, self raising flour, sugar, cocoa, milk, vinegar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and baked at 170 (or less - are the words).
Would using an electric mixer vs spatula/spoon be a cause???
Oven temp???
Do you give the oven a really good pre-heat before it goes in? Is it flopping inside the oven or after you bring it out? Maybe you're not cooking it ho enough or long enough? How do you check that it's cooked, with a skewer or with your finger?
DH was a chef in a former life and he said it's usually because the mix is too moist, but if it's a sponge cake and you bang the door, it can flop.
Your ingredients are normal used ingredients so i dont think that is the cause, nor the way its mixed. Its something that is disturbing the cake during the cooking process. One big cause we have for a cake dipping, when the oven has not been opened until it is ready.. is little people running or big people stomping past. That vibration can be a big contribution to a cake dipping.. along side opening the door of the oven before its ready and/or closing the door a little too hard.
Have you ever had problems with your oven thermostat? If an oven doesn't keep an even temp it can cause a cake to sink. Just another thing to think about.
I always thought is was because the air pockets collapsed due to the mixture being too heavy with either moisture or sugar. Maybe the flour had lost it's absorbency by being too stale like another member has said. Delia Smith has an excellent chapter about why cakes fail in one of her books that I have... if I can find it I'll post.
If it's only one recipe, try covering it with foil. This is a tip I was given by a home economist to prevent a cake from burning around the edges if it's a big pan. But I imagine it would work well with a cake that dips too.
That flour one is a great tip too! I don't have that problem in my house
The electric mixer could be the problem. A cake rises because of air and stays risen because protein provides 'walls' around the air. If there is too much air the 'walls' won't be strong enough to hold and will collapse letting the air out. You generally don't need to beat the hell out of a cake batter, just mixing until everything is evenly combined is usually sufficient.
Why does a cake sink
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks