Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production.
So you've taken the time to make a cake from scratch only to ask yourself, "Why did my cake sink in the middle?" when you check on it after it cools. Unfortunately, when a cake has cooled, its leavening ingredients have been deactivated, and the air holes that create the cake's light texture have closed and stuck together, so putting the cake back in the oven won't save it.
While you might not be able to achieve your original cake-decorating plan, you can still redeem your dessert course. Use our Test Kitchen's tips for turning a sunken cake into a new, beautiful creation, and no one will know about the mishap.
Oven temperature is too low, or cake isn't baked long enough.
You can't rebake a cake to fix it, but you might be able to save your cake if it's still in the oven. If you look through the oven window and the middle of the cake is sinking, give it some extra time before opening the door or removing the cake.
If you tested the cake's doneness with a toothpick and it came out with just a few moist crumbs attached, chances are you baked a moist cake. If your cake is undercooked and raw in the middle, you can still use the edges that are baked through. Use one of these sunken cake fixes to impress everyone with your baking skills.
1. Add Extra Frosting
When you're cake sinks in the middle, grab an extra can of frosting to disguise the low spot. Add a bit more frosting or whipped cream and smooth to an even level. You can also fill a pastry bag fitted with a specialized tip to create a unique frosting design for your sunken cake.
If you don't like the idea of serving a cake with a dip in the middle or wound up with a partially underbaked cake, use the baked portion to make cake pops. Mixing the crumbled cake with frosting and dipping it in chocolate or candy melts will give you an entirely new dessert. If you don't have any candy sticks, serve them without, and you've got cake truffles.
3. Make a Shake
There are all kinds of fun shake creations these days featuring everything from pumpkin pie to your favorite breakfast cereal. Our Test Kitchen recommends making your favorite milkshake and adding crumbled cake pieces to your blender to create a cake shake.
4. Add a Filling
Have candy and sprinkles handy? Remove the entire portion of the cake that sunk and make a surprise-inside cake (pictured above) by filling it with candy and then topping it with frosting. Pie fillings or fruit jams would make a tasty addition to a sunken cake. If you made a chocolate cake, try creating our black forest cake topper by adding a bit of cherry pie filling to the sunken cake spot before adding the whipped topping and finishing with more cherries.
Cakes that don't rise properly or have a surface covered in little holes are often the result of not getting the cake into the oven quickly enough; a common mistake that happens because you forgot to turn the oven on before you started, or you get distracted with something else mid-way through mixing.
Unfortunately once a cake has cooled it is not possible to re-bake it. The cake would have to heat all the way through again and the outside parts of the cake would become too dry. Also if the cake has sunk in the centre from being underbaked it will not rise again as the raising agents in the recipe will have expired.
Because liquids evaporate faster in higher climates, your cake can have a higher sugar concentration and weaker cell structure. This can cause your cake to fall in the center. If this happens, try one of these adjustments: Increase the liquid.
If they are only slightly undercooked, you can try returning them to the oven and baking for a few more minutes. If they are significantly undercooked, you may need to extend the baking time significantly. This can be tricky, as it may cause the outside of the baked goods to become too dry or burnt.
Why did my cake sink in the middle? The center of the cake isn't fully baked through, so it doesn't have a chance to set, creating a sunken cake with a doughy and dense texture. Bake cake a few extra minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
One of our favourite tips to avoid cake doming is using cake strips. These magical bands wrap around your cake tin, cooling the edges so the cake bakes evenly. Simply soak them in water, squeeze out the excess, and wrap them around the outside of your tin.
There's a big chance your butter and sugar will over-cream, meaning the butter will trap more air than it should. As the batter bakes, that extra air will deflate and leave you with an overly dense cake. It's all science! For best results, cream butter and sugar together for about 1-2 minutes.
A good rule of thumb is to take all of your ingredients out of the fridge one hour before you plan to prepare the cake batter. As long as your ingredients are at the same temperature, they should be able to emulsify together.
Address: Suite 592 642 Pfannerstill Island, South Keila, LA 74970-3076
Phone: +9617721773649
Job: Marketing Producer
Hobby: Skydiving, Flag Football, Knitting, Running, Lego building, Hunting, Juggling
Introduction: My name is Tuan Roob DDS, I am a friendly, good, energetic, faithful, fantastic, gentle, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/katlyn-moncada-headshot-38764023fdf34bf7a8cf82c97da87741.jpg "Why Your Cake Sank in the Middle—Plus How to Fix It (1)")
:strip_icc()/dark-cocoa-buttermilk-cake-cocoa-mascarpone-R056594-98111eb8931342dba38acde991a79c7f.jpg "Why Your Cake Sank in the Middle—Plus How to Fix It (2)")
:strip_icc()/cakepops_e7af1c9ce0a02e7dc236dd06cba529b2ceba35c8-fc97c3da15464bf9a952431122555055.jpg "Why Your Cake Sank in the Middle—Plus How to Fix It (3)")
:strip_icc()/RU324931-2e0c3084ce39407f9a65c7e8845b7fe7.jpg "Why Your Cake Sank in the Middle—Plus How to Fix It (4)")
