Why did my cake sink? Fixing sunken, domed, dense and dry cakes

TUREFF• •0

Cakes fail for a handful of predictable reasons, and most come down to measuring, mixing, oven temperature or timing. Here is how to work out what went wrong from what you can see, and what to change next time.

First, check your oven

Many problems trace back to an oven that is hotter or cooler than its dial says. An inexpensive oven thermometer placed in the middle of the oven will tell you. Heat the oven for at least 15 to 20 minutes before checking it, and before putting the cake in. Also remember:

Fan ovens cook hotter; recipes usually give a fan temperature about 20°C lower.
Most ovens have hot spots. If one side always browns first, turn the tin carefully partway through, once the cake has set.

The cake sank in the middle

The most common complaint. Usual causes:

Underbaked: the centre had not set when it came out. Test with a skewer in the middle; it should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs, and the top should spring back when pressed lightly.
Oven door opened too early: a rush of cold air in the first half of baking can collapse a rising cake. Wait until at least two-thirds of the baking time has passed.
Too much raising agent: too much baking powder or bicarbonate of soda makes the cake rise fast and then fall. Measure with proper measuring spoons, levelled off. Using self-raising flour and adding the full amount of baking powder from a plain-flour recipe does the same.
Oven too cool: the cake rises before the structure sets.
Too much sugar or liquid, or the wrong size of tin (a smaller tin makes a deeper cake that struggles to set in the middle).

The cake domed or cracked on top

Oven too hot: the outside sets before the middle has finished rising, so the centre pushes up and cracks.
Too much batter for the tin.
Overmixing after adding flour, which builds gluten and a tighter rise.

Lower the temperature slightly, check the tin size, and mix the flour in only until it disappears. Wrapping the tin in damp strips of fabric or a commercial cake strip helps the edges bake more slowly and gives a flatter top. A slight dome on a loaf cake is normal.

The cake is dense or heavy

Butter and sugar not creamed enough: beat them until pale and fluffy, often several minutes. This traps the air that lifts the cake.
Ingredients too cold: cold eggs added to creamed butter can make the mixture curdle and lose air. Use room-temperature butter and eggs.
Old baking powder: it loses strength over time. Stir a little into hot water; it should fizz immediately.
Overmixed after adding flour, or batter left to stand too long before baking.
Flour measured by cup and packed in: weighing ingredients in grams is far more accurate.

The cake is dry

Overbaked: start checking several minutes before the recipe says.
Too much flour, again usually from measuring by volume.
Oven too hot.
Brushing a warm sponge with a simple sugar syrup rescues a slightly dry cake. Wrap cooled cakes well; they dry out uncovered.

The cake stuck to the tin

Grease the tin and line the base with baking paper. For intricate tins, grease every corner with soft butter and dust with flour, or use a release spray.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning it out. Too soon and it breaks; too long and it can stick as sugars cool.
Run a thin knife around the edge before turning it out.

Other common puzzles

Sticky, wet top: often underbaked, or covered while still warm so steam condensed on it.
Fruit sank to the bottom: the batter was too thin to hold it. Toss fruit in a spoonful of the flour first and keep the batter fairly thick.
Tunnels and holes: overmixing, or raising agent not mixed in evenly. Sift it with the flour.
Burnt bottom, raw middle: tin too low in the oven or a dark metal tin; bake on the middle shelf and lower the heat slightly.

Describe what your cake looked like and your recipe and oven settings in the comments, and others can help diagnose it.