Cake Baking Problems

Baking a cake is an art, at least for those who are masters in this process. But for beginners, coming up with a perfectly-baked and decorated cake is worth a challenge. Nonetheless, with the correct materials and utensils and following step by step instructions, you can overcome your fears of making a bulging, dry, or too hard cake. But there are some common problems and mistakes that often occur while baking a cake at home, even by experts. These become a major problem when you wish to bake a special cake and want it to have a perfect professional outcome. In the following lines, we have listed some common problems faced by most people. Go through them and find solutions so that you enjoy the baking process and come up with a tempting, gorgeous and lip-smacking cake, next time you bake one. Go for them!

 

 

If you find your cake to fall outside or sink on the center, there are various problems that may be underlying. It could be due to excessive use of chemical leavener like baking soda or baking powder, since they cause air bubbles to get bigger forcing the cake to fall and become very heavy and flat. Also, your cake may sink due to an exceptionally large pan or a too small pan. To solve this problem, reduce the amount of chemicals used in the recipe, choose the correct pan size, and do not over-bake the cake.

 

If your cake turns out to be lumpy, either you haven’t blended the ingredients properly; especially the butter and sugar or probably, you have over beaten the batter. A properly mixed batter is one that is creamy and smooth in texture and free from lumps. Solve this problem by reading the mixing instructions carefully and following the procedure accordingly. If the words say ‘beat until light and fluffy’ or ‘cream together butter and sugar’, blend the ingredients at least 3 to 4 times. Further, always use a round mixing bowl with sloping sides. Also, scrape the sides of the bowl using a spatula to blend the batter evenly.

 

Your homemade cake may appear too dry due to use of excessive flour or leavening agent. In addition, insufficient use of butter or sugar and baking the cake on high temperature or for longer durations can also cause this problem. Therefore, reduce the amount of flour, baking soda, or baking powder, or add in a little more shortening (butter) to the batter. Also, ensure that you turn the oven to the right temperature and do not overbake the cake.

 

If your cake sticks to the sides of the pan and does not come out easily, it is a sure-shot sign of insufficient greasing. However, this problem can also occur if your try to remove the cake for the pan soon after baking. Thus, grease and dust the baking pan properly. Alternately, you can line the pan bottom with wax paper, smoothing it out to remove any bubbles. To add on, cool the cake on a wire rack before you remove the cake from the pan.

 

The hallmark of a professional cake is a smooth sheet of frosting. But, preparing the perfect icing at home is a challenge which generally turns out to be rough and filled with cake crumbs. Thus, to get an even and silky layer of icing, smooth out a thin layer of icing on the cake to seal in the crumbs, nooks, and crannies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and thereafter, coat a second layer of thick frosting for a professional-looking finished cake.