What’s Wrong With My Cake?

Baking can be something of a science and many of you will have probably experienced at least one cake failure in your time. It can be incredibly frustrating after spending hours lovingly crafting a Victoria Sponge, to open the oven door and find that it hasn’t risen. But why do these baking issues happen?

My Cake is Overcooked But I Like the Texture

Your cake might feel nice and spongy but it’s actually overcooked and just doesn’t taste right.

This happens when there isn’t enough cake batter for the size of the tin. To avoid this issue, make more batter or use a smaller tin.

My Cake Has a Hump in the Middle

This can be annoying, especially if you’re looking for an even top for the icing.

This is usually caused by the oven being too hot when baking begins, but can also be caused by overusing flour. You can avoid this by maintaining an even temperature or even using wet fabric strips wrapped around the outside of the cake tin.

My Cake Has Fallen in the Middle

A fallen cake can be incredibly frustrating and depending on the level of the dip, can be unusable.

More often than not, this will have been caused by having the oven at a low temperature. This can also be caused by using too much sugar or baking powder, or even not enough flour. Make sure to read through the recipe before starting the baking process and ensure that your oven is preheated to the correct temperature.

My Cake has a Coarse Texture

Sometimes you can remove your cake from the oven and it looks great but the texture just isn’t quite right.

Again, this is an issue that is often caused by the temperature of the oven. If the temperature is too low, this can have a negative effect on the texture of your cake. It can also be caused by over mixing your batter which reduces the lightness and airiness of the cake. Make sure that you stop mixing your batter when you can no longer see the ingredient you just added.

Baking is a science and it doesn’t take much to mean the difference between a cake win and a cake fail.

Here at Range Experts, we know that having a fully functioning Aga is essential when it comes to baking, so if you feel that yours is in need of a bit of tlc, we specialise in servicing and repairs. Get in touch with us today to find out more about any of our services by calling 01392 427641.