What went wrong with the cake?

It can be frustrating – and a waste of time and money – to find your cake hasn’t turned out how you hoped. Here’s our troubleshooting guide to some of the most common problems. Follow a baking recipe closely, using the stated tin size, and measure accurately using calibrated spoons.

◆ The cake has sunk in the middle The oven door was opened too early, the cake is under baked, or too little raising agent was used.

◆ The top of the cake is blistered The batter sat out of the oven for too long before being baked, or the oven temperature was too low.

◆ The cake has a thick, dark crust The oven was too hot, or the cake has been over baked.

◆ The cake is domed and cracked The tin was too small, too much raising agent was used or the oven was too hot.

◆ The cake is dense and poorly risen Eggs were added too quickly (or were cold) and the mixture has curdled, the mixture was over folded.

◆ The edges of the cake are thick and crunchy

Too much fat was used when greasing the tin.