Problems & Solutions

Cakes are generally classified into two major groups: SHORTENED (BUTTER) CAKES or UNSHORTENED (FOAM) CAKES

CHEESECAKES and PUDDING CAKES are technically baked (unstirred) custards.

Page 1: Cakes Introduction Page 2: Cake Tip #s 1 - 6 Page 3: Cake Tip #s 7 - 13 What Went Wrong ? Cake Types Cake Decorating 101 Cake Ingredients Bundt Cakes Cheesecakes Coffeecakes Cupcakes Cutting Guide Frostings, Glazes & Fillings Fruitcake History of Cakes Layer Cake Tips Mixes Novelty

Petits Fours Prepare Baking Pans Serving Guide Sheet Cakes Sources Storage Tiramisu Tortes Wedding Cakes We've all made cakes that just did not come out right. They fell apart in trying to get them out of the pan, they were too dry, they were misshapen or the frosting looked like a three year old put it on. This "WHAT WENT WRONG" List for Cakes will help you to figure out what happened so you don't make the same mistake twice.

The number one cake question I am asked is: Q: All of a sudden I have a butter / pound cake problem. I have made the same recipe for years with good results, but suddenly my cakes have become heavy and not done in the middle. A: One of my first questions is "Have you checked your oven to be sure the temperature is correct? If not, check it with an oven thermometer." If the problem is not the oven, then it must be something you must have changed -- ingredients, baking pans (different types), mixers (some are more powerful than others) or anything else....

BAD RECIPE An incorrect recipe is a common cause of baking failures and is not discussed often enough as a potential problem -- if a recipe is off balance with its ratio of dry and wet ingredients, has something left out, has an incorrect oven temperature, etc. it simply won't work. (Recipes are not required to be tested before publishing). Unfortunately, the only way to find out whether your recipe is bad is by trial and error; you've baked something several times and it doesn't turn out right.

In this case, I always suggest trying a new recipe before you get too frustrated, feel like a failure and hate baking.

SARAH SAYS: KIDS & PETS Cakes need to be mixed without skipping a beat and then put in the oven--I still have trouble doing that when my kids are around--I get distracted and sometimes leave out ingredients.

And, then there are the dogs under foot. I keep bumping into mine and sometimes tripping over. Plus, a barking dog begging for dog treats distracts me, also leading to problem cakes !!

Shortened (Butter) Cakes We've all made cakes that just did not come out right. They fell apart in trying to get them out of the pan, they were too dry, they were misshapen or the frosting looked like a three year old put it on.

IN GENERAL Shortened (butter and pound) cakes are an emulsion, or a water-in-oil emulsion. What that means is that a major factor in forming this type of mixture for cake batters is the combining of the fat and water components of the formula. These two constituents are normally incapable of being combined. Emulsifiers, such as found in egg yolks, make it possible to blend the fat and water components. As a result, mixing of a cake batter results in the formation of an oil-in-water emulsion in which the various ingredients are evenly dispersed. Characteristics observed in a cake produced from a broken emulsified batter include low volume, coarse crumb, sugary top crust, and tender structure or questions as: How come my cake didn t rise like the one in the photo?; Or, why is my cake dry? Or, why does my cake sink in the middle?

BAD RECIPE Cake recipes must be in balance. Sugar and fat are tenderizers, making things tender and fall apart. Flour and eggs contain proteins that hold things together. They become the structure of the recipe. For a successful cake, you need a balance between the two components. Master cake bakers always use these formulas to ensure success. Remember they are done by weighing ingredients on a scale, not by measuring in measuring cups and spoons.

REGULAR BUTTER CAKES: Weight of sugar equal to or less than weight of flour Weight of eggs equal to or greater than the weight of fat Weight of liquid (milk and eggs) equal weight of flour

HIGH-RATIO BUTTER CAKES: (many cakes fall into this category) Weight of sugar equal to or greater than weight of flour Weight of eggs equal weight of fat Weight of liquid equal or greater than weight of sugar

BATTER CURDLES & SEPARATES The ingredients were not at room temperature, but will correct itself when the flour is added. The butter and sugar were not creamed together well enough before adding the eggs. The eggs were added too quickly.

LOW VOLUME Over or undermeasurement of liquids. See How to Measure. Undermixing or extreme overmixing Too large a pan Oven temperature too low or too high Not properly alternating the flour and the liquid ingredients during mixing Cold eggs and/or butter. Old or too little baking powder Too much fat Incorrect amount of water.

RAISINS & NUTS SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CAKE The pieces of fruit were too large and too heavy; batter was not thick enough to hold them.

STICKY TOP Covering while still warm Overmeasurement of liquid. See How to Measure. Underbaking - oven temperature too low and / or too short a baking time High humidity

SOGGY Moving the cake before it is set Underbaking Cooling the cake in the pan (unless the recipe specifies) Ingredients out of proper balance. Make sure that you measure correctly. Excess shortening, liquid or sugar will cause this problem.

LARGE HOLES & TUNNELING Oven temperature too high. Use an oven thermometer to check. Undermixing or extreme overmixing (too much gluten) Too much leavening

SHRINKS Too little batter in pan Pans greased too heavily Pans too close together in oven Extreme overmixing

Too much liquid Overbaking - too long or at too high a temperature Improper mixing procedure.

CAKE FALLS Over or underbeating - too much or too little air is incorporated into batter. Underbaking - oven temperature too low and / or too short a baking time. Probably not thoroughly baked - Bake longer or reduce the heat by 25 degrees F and bake longer. Over or under measurement of liquid or too much sugar. See How to Measure. Too small a pan Excessive jarring or moving of the cake during baking. Opening the oven door before cake sets Too much baking powder or baking soda Keep recipe close to 1 teaspoon baking powder or 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour. Excessive mixing of the batter.

COARSE GRAIN & SUNKEN CENTER Oven too cold (baked too slowly). Preheat oven for about 20 minutes. Sugar and fat under-creamed. Follow my Creaming Steps. Batter undermixed Too much baking powder. Not enough liquid Too much flour Used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. Careless or poor depositing in the pans.

DRY CAKE / TOUGH CRUST Overmixing the batter. Overbaking. Check cake for doneness at lower end of baking time range. Overbeating egg whites and too many of them Pan too big.Use the size called for in the recipe or substitute it. The oven was probably set too low and the cake dried out as it baked. Use an oven thermometer to help you check. Cool cakes in a draft free area. They will dry out quickly in a draft. Added more flour than the recipe called for. See How to Measure. Added less shortening or liquid than the recipe called for. See How to Measure. Not enough sugar.

PEAKED / CRACKED TOPS Overmixing Oven temperature too hot, causing the outside of the cake to bake and form a crust too quickly. As the mixture in the center of the cake continued to cook and rise, it burst up through the top of the cake. Not using magi-cake strips which prevent the edges from baking and setting faster than the middle Too much flour or too little liquid Pan placed too high in oven. Before preheating the oven, adjust oven shelf to the middle.

UNEVEN CAKE LAYER Oven shelf not level Bent pans Uneven depositing of batter The flour was not blended sufficiently into the main mixture. The temperature inside the oven was uneven.

The oven temperature was too high.

UNEVEN BROWNING / BURNED ON ONE SIDE Uneven heat circulation. Make sure the pan has at least 1-to 2-inches space between the sides of the oven and another pan, if using. Pans too close together in oven. Improper placement in the oven will cause cakes to bake faster on one side. Gently rotate the cake pans (don't pick up the pans, spin them) about 2/3 into the baking time for an even bake.

BURNT BOTTOM / UNDERCOOKED BATTER Inadequate air circulation in oven. Make sure the pan has at least 1- to 2-inches space between the sides of the oven and another pan, if using. If you have to bake two pans in the oven at once and they won't fit on one shelf, stagger them between the two shelves.

HEAVY LAYER ON BOTTOM Not enough mixing Too much liquid Too many eggs

THICK / HEAVY LAYER The butter, sugar and eggs were not beaten together long enough. The flour was beaten at too high a speed. Too much flour was added to the creamed mixture. The oven temperature was not hot / or too hot enough. Excessive baking time. Check cake at the beginning of the time range for doneness or 10 minutes before the stated time.

GRAYISH COLOR Low-grade flour

STICKY WET LAYER Not had the batter folded with beaten egg whites sufficiently

CAKE STICKING TO PAN Not greased and floured the pan enough. See How to Prepare Pans. The cake cooled too long in the pan before trying to remove it. Not baked long enough.

TOUGH CRUST OR CRUMB Too little fat Too little sugar Excessive mixing. Batter too stiff (insufficient water). Batter too thin (excessive water). Can be a meringue-like crust: is created by egg whites when the batter is beaten too much after eggs are added. To avoid it, blend in the eggs, one at a time, on low speed until just blended.

HANGING OVER SIDES OF PAN / BATTER OVERFLOWS PAN Too much baking powder Too small a pan - Make sure you used the right size pan. The uncooked mixture should fill the pan by no more than two-thirds.

BITTER OR POOR FLAVOR Excess baking powder will cause the batter to run over the pan, so measure carefully. Either the oven was set very low or you put too much batter in the pan. Check your oven setting and never fill the baking pan more than 1/2 full of cake batter. Improper mixing procedure. Improper cleaning and greasing of the pans. Faulty baking conditions. Improper cleaning of the equipment.

CRACKS & CRUMBLES Too much shortening, baking powder, or sugar. Taken the cake from the pan before it had cooled enough. The layers may have needed a little extra baking time.

CRUST TOO DARK Oven too hot. Excessive top heat Dark pan

CRUST IS SHINY & STICKY Oven temperature too cool. Removed the layers from the oven too soon. Too much sugar

TOP LAYER OR CRUST COLLAPSES WHEN TAKEN FROM OVEN

Improper blending of the flour and baking powder/soda which can cause holes in the finished cake. Overmixed flour when added to the cake, causing too much gluten. Too much gluten causes a cracked and domed top. Improperly emulsified eggs: Eggs should be added ONE AT A TIME, with the mixer speed on low. Make sure it's fully incorporated before adding the next egg. This step helps to incorporate more air in the batter and adds emulsifiers from the egg yolks, the most important step when making a pound cake. It results in a creamy mixture that holds in the air bubbles in, previously created through creaming. A cake baked with poorly emulsified batter will be grainy in texture, will look uneven and/or may even sink when baked.

DENSE AND HEAVY GRAIN Excessive liquid in the batter. Improper mixing procedure. The eggs were too small. Always use large eggs when baking. Insufficient air was whisked into the egg and sugar mixture. The flour was not folded in gently. Always mix in the flour at the lowest speed. The melted butter was too hot when added, causing it to sink down through the whisked foam. The oven temperature was too low.

BURNT ON TOP Oven temperature too hot. Incorrect amount of water.

LACK OF BODY Excessive mixing. Insufficient liquid.

OFF COLOR

Improper mixing procedure. Oven too cool, (baked too slowly). Unclean equipment.

POOR KEEPING QUALITIES Excessive baking time. Insufficient Liquid. Improper mixing procedures. Cooled in a drafty location.

BROWN PATCHES / LIGHT SPOTS Especially true in yellow cakes. Due to the high sugar and fat content in yellow cakes, they tend to brown unevenly. A anodized aluminum pan will help with even browning. A perfectly measured and mixed batter will fail if your oven temperature is incorrect. An oven that is too hot during the early baking stage can cause premature release of the leavening, producing small blisters which collapse and form light spots on the crust. Therefore, invest in a good freestanding oven thermometer to accurately measure your oven. It is readily available from the grocery store

Foam Cakes ANGEL FOOD CAKES Inaccurate Oven Temperature Accounts for the Majority of Problems If you have sign of underbaking, try raising the oven setting 25 degrees F. If the problem seems to be overbaking, lower the oven setting by 25 degrees F. If you continue to have difficulty, check oven for accuracy. You can also test it yourself with an oven thermometer, Simply set the thermometer in the oven for about 20 or 3 minutes. Then check to see if the oven is accurate. If not, have a professional adjust it for you.

Batter is Thin

Egg whites do not form stiff peaks. Too much water - use only amount specified in the cake mix recipe, measure accurately. Improper addition of extra ingredients Using utensils which has grease or oil on them

Texture is Chewy Under measurements of water for the cake mix recipe, overbaking and improper storage will increase chewiness of the texture.

Extra High Crown Too high an oven temperature Use lower rack position in oven

Cupping (shallow indentations on sides and bottom of cake), Holes and Tunnels In order to avoid holes and tunnels we recommend tapping the pan on the counter 2 or 3 times in order to dislodge any air pockets in the batter.

Low Height Cake mix was beaten too long or mixer speed was too high. Trace of oil in the pan Cake was not turned upside down to cool immediately after removing from the oven. Improper addition of extra ingredients at wrong time or wrong ingredients. Not completely mixed.

Cake Falls in Oven Too much water - use only amount specified in the cake mix recipe, measure accurately.

A trace of dish-washing detergent left on a utensil or mixing bowls Not completely mixed

Soggy Cake Under baking Too much water - use only amount specified in the cake mix recipe, measure accurately. Not uniformly blended Same things which cause low height

Batter Overflows the Pan Oven Temperatures too low Pan too small

Cake Falls from the Pan when Inverted to Cool Underbaking: too cool and oven/too short a baking time Greased or non-stick pan

Top Crust Shrinks/Separates from Bake/Burns Overbaking: Too hot an oven/too long a baking time Cake rack placed too high in the oven

Sticky Crust Improper or too little cooling of the cake Humid conditions after the cake is baked Underbaking