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Why Does the Cake Dip in the Center?
Question from Kim
I've been baking cupcakes using your All Occasion Downy Golden cake recipe. The texture is incredible - soft, light, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth. The only problem is that the cakes rise beautifully in the oven - but then about 5 minutes after I take them out they begin to sink in the middle. What do you think could be the problem? I'd love for them to be just slightly rounded on top, for the sake of presentation.
Rose Response
First i'd like to say that when I make cakes in two layers I like the cakes to be perfectly flat for tiering but when I make one higher layer I also like it to be gently rounded.
Dipping is always a structural problem. It can be either of the following
The Wrong Type of Flour
If using unbleached flour for a butter cake in which the butter is used in softened form, as opposed to melted as for a genoise, the cake will dip in the center about 5 minutes after baking. This is because the smooth flour particles of unbleached flour cannot effectively hold the butter is suspension. So use bleached cake flour or bleached all-purpose flour.
Too Weak a Structure
This is usually due to too much leavening. Try dropping the baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon.
The larger the cake, the less amount of baking powder per cup of flour is used. This is because the distance from the sides of the pan to the center are greater so that they batter needs a stronger structure to support itself.
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Comments
you'll know it's your oven if the cake is taking longer to bake--another reason why it would sink in the middle.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 5, 2007 9:03 AM #
I have been making the same zucchini recipe for 20 years. The last 2 yrs. the breads sink in the middle. I use only fresh ingredients, and the same pans. Could it be my oven?
Reply to this Posted by: sharon millman | July 29, 2007 10:50 AM #
there are charts starting on page 492 in the cake bible for every size cake from 6 inches to 18, and each one was tested in each size but for round pans only except for the 18 inch sheet pan. square pans might work the same way proportionately but i can't attest to it. i don't think that an 18 inch cake will have quite the same texture as a 6 inch but close!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 28, 2007 9:57 AM #
About the leavening issue, how do you know how much less leavening agent to use? For a large cake (say 12"x12"), I would reduce the baking powder by 1/4 tsp for every cup of flour used? My cakes don't actually sink in the middle. They just come out way too dense. My regular round cakes are moist, fluffy and delicious. The larger cake is dense and chewy. Yuck. Thank you!
Reply to this Posted by: Angie | July 27, 2007 10:06 PM #
ed, soon this blog will have a print this page sort of option but in the meantime, please just do a copy and paste (it works--i've tried it!).
i think you'll really love the new harvest king. i'll soon post a bunch of tips re making artisan bread with it.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 5, 2006 3:24 PM #
Searched for a downloadable recipe for the harvest bread featured on the GM best for bread product bag without success, so painstakingly wrote the recipe on 3x5 card. Alton Brown recipes from Food Network pop out with a click. Somehow I have not been able to master the technique in the Rose format. When unable to find the old familiar pkg of GM Best for Bread flour,groc.mgr.found new pkg in artisan flour section! Life is good!
Reply to this Posted by: Ed Parker | November 4, 2006 3:59 PM #
the only thing i can think of is that possibly your dough is just too sticky and wet. try flouring the outside of the dough as well as the banneton.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | October 15, 2006 3:21 PM #
I bought some bannetons, the coiled willow kind. I used rice flour even, but the dough just did not come out without deflating. It stuck to the bottom of the banneton very efficiently! I cannot seem to find any sources that talk about the problems with bannetons... am I the only one that finds these things perplexing? Any advice?
Reply to this Posted by: Nicholas Flugga | October 15, 2006 2:56 PM #