Six Reasons Your Cakes Are Sinking
As hard as it is for me to say it, my perfect chocolate cake hasn't been so perfect lately. I've been making a slightly adapted chocolate cake recipe from Sweetapolita for years now. It's rich, dark, moist and oh-so delicious. It's a crowd pleaser and one of my personal favorites. However, since moving to Utah, I've had some trouble with the recipe. And I'm not the only one. Several of you high-altitude friends have also told me that your chocolate cake has sunk. I haven't wanted to give up this recipe, so I've always improvised and trimmed off the top rim and filled in my sunken middle. But, at the end of the day, I want a chocolate cake that is going to rise and stay up, and I don't want any of you to have problems either!
So, for the last several weeks I've been researching why our cakes are sinking in high altitudes and what we can do to fix the problem. I've also been testing out other chocolate cake recipes to see how they compare and if they too need altitude adjustments. I'll have my favorite high altitude-friendly recipe for you tomorrow. In the meantime, here's six reasons your cakes might be sinking.
1. It's not finished cooking
By taking the cake out of the oven too early, or even opening the oven door too early, you have stopped chemical reactions that were taking place to make the cake rise. I've read on some blogs that you shouldn't open your oven door before 20 minutes, others specify that you shouldn't peek inside for at least the first 80% of the suggested baking time. The cake should be risen in the middle and starting to ever-so-slightly pull away from the edge of the cake pan. If the edges pull away too much or look brown, you've baked the cake too long. Another way you can test the cakes "doneness" is lightly touching the top of the center of the cake. If the cake bounces back, it's done. If it doesn't bounce back or jiggles, it needs more time.
2. Your oven temperature is incorrect
This one is SO important. Everyone's oven cooks differently. Some run too hot. Some run too cold. This is because the oven isn't properly calibrated. To make sure your oven is actually running 350 degrees F inside, grab yourself an external oven thermometer like this ONE. And remember issue #1, don't open the oven door too early. Each time that you open the oven door, the temperature drops. Even the tiniest of fluctuations in temperature can affect your cake.
3. Your baking powder is expired
If your baking powder is expired, it's not going to help create the chemical reaction your cake needs to rise. The shelf life of baking powder is about six months to a year, so date them and get rid of any containers that have been sitting on your shelf for too long. If you're not sure whether or not your baking powder is still good, place a teaspoon of baking powder in a half cup of hot water. If the baking powder is still good, the mixture will start to bubble rapidly. If nothing happens, it's time to get a new container.
4. Too Much Leavening
This one was new to me - adding too much baking powder, baking soda or yeast to a cake can actually cause it to sink in the middle. Apparently, the amount of air that is created within the cake will be more than the cake can hold and the whole thing just comes crashing down. Typically, you should follow your recipe but if the baking powder to flour is more than 1 to 1.5 teaspoons per cup of all-purpose flour, then it might be an error. Also, you don't want to add additional baking powder to other leaveners like self-rising flour or cake mixes that already have it mixed in.
5. Over-beating
Over mixing cake batter is probably one of the most common mistakes bakers make and a main reason a cake will sink. When you over beat your batter, you end up beating in too much air into the mixture and it actually causes the cake to sink. (I find this especially true for chocolate cake. I've learned to stop beating it until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined and not until the mixture if completely smooth.) So keep these speeds in mind, unless a tried and true recipe tells you otherwise (some white cake recipes and some of the Milk Bar cakes tell you beat for a certain amount of time): when you beat the sugar and butter, use medium speed. Keep it at medium speed when you add the eggs, one at a time. Then, when you're ready to add your dry ingredients, mix at low-medium speed until they are combined. Again, it's okay if the mixture isn't completely smooth. Immediately divide the batter into your cake pans and put them in your oven.
6. Not accounting for high altitude
This one has been a rude awakening for me now that I live in Northern Utah. We're a little more than 4,000 feet above sea level and that has definitely affected some of my recipes, namely my Dark Chocolate Cake that I've been making for years (insert tearful emoji here). Rule of thumb is that if you live and bake at more than 3,500 feet above seal level, you're likely going to have to alter some of your recipes so you don't end up with cakes that bubble over the edges of your pans or sink to the bottom once you take them out.
There's so much science behind how high altitude affects baked goods. I'm not going to get into all of science here (although, it's totally interesting, so I do think it's worth a Google search and learning more). Instead, I'll give you the bullet points so you have a little knowledge and understanding why it's so important to account for where you live when you bake.
High altitude means low air density, low air pressure and low humidity.
This decrease in pressure means liquids in your cake evaporate more rapidly, leaving you with a higher ratio other ingredients, including your leavening agents.
At sea level, the air is heavier and it pushes the air or carbon dioxide as it expands in the heat of the oven. As this formula is taken to higher elevations, the air pressure puts up less of a fight against the leavening. This means your cake will rise beautifully at first, but will then sink as it cools.
Some tips for baking at high altitude:
Adjust your temperature and bake time: you can adjust the temperature up to, but NO MORE than, 15 degrees F higher than the recipe suggests. With my altitude-friendly chocolate cake that I'll be sharing with you, I increased my baking temperature to 360 degrees F and reduced my baking time to avoid browning or a dried out cake.
Adjust the ingredients: f
Leavening agents, such as baking powder, reduce the amount by 1/4 to 1/8 teaspoon per recipe.
Sugar, reduce by 1 tablespoon per cup.
Liquids, try increasing the milk, water, oil, etc. by 1 to 2 tablespoons.
Eggs are also a liquid, and adding an extra egg at high altitude can help secure structure and keep things from drying out.
Flour, add 1 tablespoon per cup called for in the recipe. This is foundation, you want to make sure it's strong.
For more detailed information and adjustments, you can head over to King Arthur Flour. Their site also provides some tips about baking cookies at high altitude as well.