CaKe Faults

CAKE FAULTS

Collapsed or Sunken cakes – Cake sunken, specially in the center, more often than not the reason with this is the imbalance in the recipe.

• Too much sugar
• Too little liquid
• Too much baking powder

·         Knocking in the oven before the cake is set, by knocking in I mean the physical knocking while the cake is rising. The rising stage in the cake baking happens the first and if during that time one opens the oven, the temperature drops and the cake gets a knock it is likely that the cake will sink

Cake with peaked top –

• Too strong flour, which means a flour high in gluten, great for bread baking but cakes need a softer flour
• Insufficient aeration or beating
• Overbeating or tough batter
• Oven top hot specially the top heat which leads to the crust forming before the cake sets and the steam then cracks and peaks the top

Cracked crust/Too many cracks

• Too hot oven
• Cake tin too small
• Cake batter standing too long before baking

Wet/Dense Streak at the base of the cake

• Excessive liquid in the batter
• Too little baking powder

Tunnel like holes in the cake

• Inadequate mixing
• Lumps of unmixed fat in the batter
• Mixture being poured in the cake tin, little at a time instead of continuously hence forming air pockets

Fruits falls to the bottom of the cake

• Too thin batter
• Too much sugar
• Too much baking powder
• Fruit is wet and hence heavy (coating the fruit with a little flour helps)
• Low baking temperature, I know this does sound counter intuitive since most fruit cakes are baked at low temperatures but too low temp will lead to sinking of fruit

Sugary top or white spots on the crust

• Too much sugar
• Not enough liquid or hydration
• Sugar too coarse, this is specially true in India since the granulated sugar is too fat. Always give a whizz in the mixie before using it
• Batter standing too long before baking

Cake too dense

• Insufficient baking powder/leaving agent
• Excess liquid
• Excess sugar
• Oven not hot enough

Coarse or irregular cake

• Too much baking powder
• Improper mixing
• Insufficient liquid
• Insufficient eggs

Cake too tender/crumbly for cutting

• Overmixing of the batter
• Too little egg
• Too much sugar

Crust too thick

• Too much sugar
• Too little liquid
• Incorrect oven temperature (both too hot and too cold can lead to this)
• Cake standing too long before baking

Curdled cake batter –

This is usually not too huge a problem but it freaks out most people who are not regular bakers and more often than not can be solved by throwing in a tablespoon of flour and continue baking

• Eggs are added before the fat and sugar have been creamed enough
• Eggs are too cold when added, the eggs always need to be at room temperature
• Eggs are added in too large amounts. Remember there is a reason to add eggs one at a time

Baking
The general rule is that cakes should be baked as quickly as possible consistent with their being properly cooked through without adverse discoloration of the crust. The following are the factors which affect the baking temperature of cakes.

Steam
As previously mentioned a humid atmosphere is essential in order to achieve a flat top on a cake and to ensure that thorough baking is carried out with a pleasing crust color. A pan of water inserted in the oven is usually sufficient for this purpose.

Richness
The more sugar a cake contains, the cooler the oven temperature and the longer the cooking time that is required. This is because the richer the cake, the more crust color is formed.

Shape and Size
The overriding consideration to be given here is the penetration of heat into the cake mass. It follows from this that the smaller the cake the shorter the baking time, and then the higher the baking temperature. Conversely, large cakes require a lower baking temperature with a longer baking time. However, it is not always appreciated that shape plays an important part. Since it is the penetration of heat that counts, a thin slab of cake cooks very much more rapidly than the same weight but say, double the thickness. The range of temperatures over which cakes may be baked is very wide, ranging from 350°F (177°C) for wedding cakes to 450°C (232°C) for very small fairy cakes.

Additions
Substances like sugar or almonds added to the surface of a cake act as improving the richness of a cake, and baking temperature should be reduced by 10-20°F (5.5-11°C) to compensate.Certain substances like glucose, invert sugar, and honey take on color at a much lower temperature than sugar. If such substances are added (for example, for their cake moistening properties), the baking temperature also needs to be lower.

Preparation of Dried Fruit for Fruit Cakes
The moist eating and keeping qualities of cake containing dried fruit depend to a large extent on the amount of moisture retained by the fruit in the cake. To achieve the maximum retention of moisture by the fruit, proper preparation is essential. The fruit should be sorted, washed, and well-drained before use .
Essences, fruit juices, spirits, etc. may be mixed into the fruit, preferably some time prior to their being used. The fruit is always added last after the flour has been mixed in.

Choice of Ingredients
Flour
Always use a soft flour but if this is not possible replace a proportion with corn flour.

​Fat
Since the aeration of a good quality cake is partly achieved by the trapping of air by the action of beating the fat, one with good creaming qualities is essential. Unfortunately, both butter and normal lard (special processed lards with good creaming qualities are now available) suffer in this respect. In most recipes where butter is used a small quantity of shortening should be incorporated to help overcome this defect.
Sugar Fine grain castor is best so that it will readily dissolve in the batter.