First time baking a cake, I have no idea why there’s cracks in the middle. But I managed to cover it up yayy. But if anyone knows what happened or have any tips, please share them
Recipe credit: my.mellow.menu
by majestic_dolly
48 Comments
carmen_cygni
Post the recipe so the sub can diagnose. The end result looks very pretty. How did it taste?
majestic_dolly
Recipe (credits to: my.mellow.menu)
Small mixing bowl: 55g oil + 60g milk, mix well 68g flour 4 egg yolks
Larger mixing bowl:
4 egg whites Few drops lemon juice 60g sugar
Fold egg white mixture into yolk mixture til well combined
Bake at 325F, 32-35mins til toothpick comes out clean
susieque503
You saved it in the end!!!
subuso
Props to you for going ahead and frosting it
jlaketree
Did you take it out of the oven right away? It might have cooled too quickly. Egg whites in general are a bit tricky. Over or under whisking them can change the structural integrity but it’s hard to tell without seeing what you did to them
Hahahobbit
1. It seems like a low ratio of liquid to flour and 2. you could have knocked all the air out of it while folding it in if it was supposed to be a meringue which it looks like it to me. (The egg white mixture)
CollynMalkin
Without a recipe, my first guess is that it wasn’t baked long enough which is why it collapsed, and the reason it cracked is because it rose too quickly. Using too much rising agent will also make it collapse. Or baking it at too high of a temperature will cause it to rise too quickly and collapse too. But aside from that I’d need more information.
Kinky_Curly_90
No idea what else went wrong with your recipe, but a cake leaning like that is often a sign of using a convection oven instead of a conventional oven. If you used a convection oven, switch to conventional.
iSmartiKindiImportnt
you’re a champ for frosting it! 👏
dal3-c00p3r
based on the crust that formed, the decoration, and the recipe it seems like you were trying to make angel food cake? when you beat the egg whites you can’t knock the air out of them (they are what give you that flaky, sweet crust on the outside) but you should use a binding agent as well, i’ve seen cream of tartar work for this. also I can see you’ve figured out that you definitely had an uneven liquid ratio but great job saving it with the icing! 🙂
MommyBabu
This seems to be a sponge cake that deflated. I don’t see any leaveners in the ingredient list aside from egg whites so it’s all about preserving those little bubbles and making sure the whites are beaten properly. Pan preparation and how you let it cool also play a role. Sponges are challenging but rewarding! Practice makes perfect!
MoulanRougeFae
The banging the pan deflated all that fluff you put in it. And if you didn’t fold correctly that probably contributed too. There’s some great tutorials on YouTube that show folding techniques.
TelevisionSeparate37
Maybe too much batter for the mould. Try 3/4 of what you used and see how it goes.
Run43st
The real question is why did you take the time to decorate it and not just make a new one
Due-Lychee-6323
I remember this happening to me years ago and it turns out that I had to replace my oven bc it was only partially working.
idiotcantremeber
For high egg white cakes. I don’t line or grease the sides so the cake has something to cling to and try cooling it upside down.
WildVegas
Looks dirty 🤭🤣😂🤣
DragonfruitCupcake
Omg it looks so much better frosted!! I would have given up! Well done!
Bhamrentalhelp
I want a photo of a slice! This looks awesome
WaNoMatsurii
I always drop sponge cakes like these from 30 cm after taking it out of the oven, it’s supposed to prevent it dropping.
PrancingRedPony
I absolutely love you for that last picture!
That’s the spirit of baking, just make it work no matter what!
breakfastwh0r3
my oh to oooooh response when i saw it out the pan
Blue_Cloud_2000
did you grease the tin?
Oodlesoffun321
Was your convection fan on? Sometimes that can blow the batter and make the cake look wonky
do_shut_up_portia
You totally saved it! Your piping skills are really good!
DesignerCorner3322
Without the recipe/what you did other than pictures – I suspect it lacked the right amount of protein from eggs or flour so it couldn’t build a structure strong enough to support it. Looks like it had more than enough leavening to rise and then burst like that, but without structure its going to collapse
andngaaa
Other than the liquid ratio being too high, it might do some good to cool the cake upside down in the pan. Cooling it that way under completely room temp will allow the cake to maintain its structure. This tip might help
ripped_jean
Picture 3 was a jumpscare. I’m so sorry
Hollowjuice32
This cake needs to be put upside down while in the baking pan that was used immediately after baking, until completely cooled. While it’s cooling on a wire rack it will allow the steam to release so it doesn’t weigh down the cake while cooling.
Southern-Fan-9233
I’m so impressed with how you still managed to make it look cute !
blackrainbow32
I like the berries and small buttons on the icing. It looks very nice decorated.
Confident-Ruin-4111
Looks like angel food?
wamimsauthor
Reminds me of back in the day when cakes would fall if someone made a loud noise.
Ok_Friend5674
Hey, I would have thrown it out, but you frosted it so nicely! ❤️
StillReasonable6877
For the lopsided problem: 1. Did you use a convection oven? That can blow batter esp angel food cake batter around. 2. Was your oven level? 3. Did you level the batter and lightly tap the pan onto the counter to release air bubbles? For the cracks problem: 1. Did you measure leavening ( baking powder or soda) accurately? 2. Did you use the recommended size of pan? If it is too small the cake will set up wrong and it will crack 3. Was your oven temperature accurate? If the pan was too large or the oven temp too high the outside edges will cook too quickly and when the less baked part of the batter continues to rise and needs to let steam out, it will crack. A convection oven should bake cakes at 25° lower than the recipe says. This prevents the top crust from baking too fast and the less cooked cake batter from pressing against the part that is set too quickly. Plus if you don’t decrease, the top will end up dry and tough. And lastly, if you do not turn your cake upside down to cool, it can crack.
h2k2k2ksl
It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss.
HonestDust873
At least when it’s frosted it looks like someone else fucked on your cake. 😆
justPizzas
No matter what it looks like, I bet it was delicious 😋
MF_six
How long did you let it sit before removing from the pan?
Dudeiii42
You made a Dutch baby I think
otte_overlord
The recipe has no leavening agent except the eggs. It looks like there is baking paper possibly lining the pan. The cake batter needs to touch bare pan sides to rise with this kind of recipe.
Short_Function4704
If it was a chiffon cake,Maybe the pan wasn’t ryt.Chiffon cake needs to be baked in aluminum pans and cooled upside down to prevent collapsing.
starpixi3
Lipstick on a pig
[deleted]
[removed]
FartingNora
Just as a side note- when I was a little girl my mother would always tell me to be gentle shutting the back door of the house (that was near the stove) because she didn’t want her cake to “fall.”
Kikicatlady89
Professional Pastry chef here- is this a chiffon method? Folding didn’t seem too shabby! The thing about this cake is it needs to be”grab” the sides of a pan. No pan spray or parchment on the sides. Let it cool completely before unmoldibg.
Interesting_You6852
Looks like too many eggs to much levener and not enough flour. 🤷
TattooedPink
It looks like pancake mix tbh haha looks great iced!
48 Comments
Post the recipe so the sub can diagnose. The end result looks very pretty. How did it taste?
Recipe (credits to: my.mellow.menu)
Small mixing bowl:
55g oil + 60g milk, mix well
68g flour
4 egg yolks
Larger mixing bowl:
4 egg whites
Few drops lemon juice
60g sugar
Fold egg white mixture into yolk mixture til well combined
Bake at 325F, 32-35mins til toothpick comes out clean
You saved it in the end!!!
Props to you for going ahead and frosting it
Did you take it out of the oven right away? It might have cooled too quickly. Egg whites in general are a bit tricky. Over or under whisking them can change the structural integrity but it’s hard to tell without seeing what you did to them
1. It seems like a low ratio of liquid to flour and 2. you could have knocked all the air out of it while folding it in if it was supposed to be a meringue which it looks like it to me. (The egg white mixture)
Without a recipe, my first guess is that it wasn’t baked long enough which is why it collapsed, and the reason it cracked is because it rose too quickly. Using too much rising agent will also make it collapse. Or baking it at too high of a temperature will cause it to rise too quickly and collapse too. But aside from that I’d need more information.
No idea what else went wrong with your recipe, but a cake leaning like that is often a sign of using a convection oven instead of a conventional oven. If you used a convection oven, switch to conventional.
you’re a champ for frosting it! 👏
based on the crust that formed, the decoration, and the recipe it seems like you were trying to make angel food cake? when you beat the egg whites you can’t knock the air out of them (they are what give you that flaky, sweet crust on the outside) but you should use a binding agent as well, i’ve seen cream of tartar work for this. also I can see you’ve figured out that you definitely had an uneven liquid ratio but great job saving it with the icing! 🙂
This seems to be a sponge cake that deflated. I don’t see any leaveners in the ingredient list aside from egg whites so it’s all about preserving those little bubbles and making sure the whites are beaten properly. Pan preparation and how you let it cool also play a role. Sponges are challenging but rewarding! Practice makes perfect!
The banging the pan deflated all that fluff you put in it. And if you didn’t fold correctly that probably contributed too. There’s some great tutorials on YouTube that show folding techniques.
Maybe too much batter for the mould. Try 3/4 of what you used and see how it goes.
The real question is why did you take the time to decorate it and not just make a new one
I remember this happening to me years ago and it turns out that I had to replace my oven bc it was only partially working.
For high egg white cakes. I don’t line or grease the sides so the cake has something to cling to and try cooling it upside down.
Looks dirty 🤭🤣😂🤣
Omg it looks so much better frosted!! I would have given up! Well done!
I want a photo of a slice! This looks awesome
I always drop sponge cakes like these from 30 cm after taking it out of the oven, it’s supposed to prevent it dropping.
I absolutely love you for that last picture!
That’s the spirit of baking, just make it work no matter what!
my oh to oooooh response when i saw it out the pan
did you grease the tin?
Was your convection fan on? Sometimes that can blow the batter and make the cake look wonky
You totally saved it! Your piping skills are really good!
Without the recipe/what you did other than pictures – I suspect it lacked the right amount of protein from eggs or flour so it couldn’t build a structure strong enough to support it. Looks like it had more than enough leavening to rise and then burst like that, but without structure its going to collapse
Other than the liquid ratio being too high, it might do some good to cool the cake upside down in the pan. Cooling it that way under completely room temp will allow the cake to maintain its structure. This tip might help
Picture 3 was a jumpscare. I’m so sorry
This cake needs to be put upside down while in the baking pan that was used immediately after baking, until completely cooled. While it’s cooling on a wire rack it will allow the steam to release so it doesn’t weigh down the cake while cooling.
I’m so impressed with how you still managed to make it look cute !
I like the berries and small buttons on the icing. It looks very nice decorated.
Looks like angel food?
Reminds me of back in the day when cakes would fall if someone made a loud noise.
Hey, I would have thrown it out, but you frosted it so nicely! ❤️
For the lopsided problem: 1. Did you use a convection oven? That can blow batter esp angel food cake batter around. 2. Was your oven level? 3. Did you level the batter and lightly tap the pan onto the counter to release air bubbles?
For the cracks problem: 1. Did you measure leavening ( baking powder or soda) accurately? 2. Did you use the recommended size of pan? If it is too small the cake will set up wrong and it will crack 3. Was your oven temperature accurate? If the pan was too large or the oven temp too high the outside edges will cook too quickly and when the less baked part of the batter continues to rise and needs to let steam out, it will crack. A convection oven should bake cakes at 25° lower than the recipe says. This prevents the top crust from baking too fast and the less cooked cake batter from pressing against the part that is set too quickly. Plus if you don’t decrease, the top will end up dry and tough.
And lastly, if you do not turn your cake upside down to cool, it can crack.
It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss.
At least when it’s frosted it looks like someone else fucked on your cake. 😆
No matter what it looks like, I bet it was delicious 😋
How long did you let it sit before removing from the pan?
You made a Dutch baby I think
The recipe has no leavening agent except the eggs. It looks like there is baking paper possibly lining the pan. The cake batter needs to touch bare pan sides to rise with this kind of recipe.
If it was a chiffon cake,Maybe the pan wasn’t ryt.Chiffon cake needs to be baked in aluminum pans and cooled upside down to prevent collapsing.
Lipstick on a pig
[removed]
Just as a side note- when I was a little girl my mother would always tell me to be gentle shutting the back door of the house (that was near the stove) because she didn’t want her cake to “fall.”
Professional Pastry chef here- is this a chiffon method? Folding didn’t seem too shabby! The thing about this cake is it needs to be”grab” the sides of a pan. No pan spray or parchment on the sides. Let it cool completely before unmoldibg.
Looks like too many eggs to much levener and not enough flour. 🤷
It looks like pancake mix tbh haha looks great iced!