Chocolate cake baked from recipe is too delicate/fragile
I tried baking a chocolate espresso cake from this recipe. The idea was to produce a cake that could be used for a layered cake, similar to the entire recipe itself.
I baked a single layer as a test, using a third of each ingredient. I used the toothpick test and found the cake to be done around 28 minutes, which is considerably earlier than the recipe called for. However, the cake came out almost sponge-like, very light and delicate. Removing the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake without causing it to crumble proved nearly impossible.
The cake didn't come out with the domed, cracked top which I suspect has to do with the oven time. My question is whether this alone answers for why the cake turned out as it did. In the video the cake seems much sturdier than the one I ended up with. My ingredients were weighted, except for the coffee which was measured to 180ml.
Is it a matter of letting the cake sit out longer in the oven, or is there something else I'm missing?
For reference, the scaled recipe was as follows.
- Cream together in a bowl 115g softened unsalted butter and 150g light brown sugar using a handheld mixer.
- Add one egg and mix with the beater.
- In a separate bowl, sift 120g all-purpose flour and add 25g Dutch-processed cocoa, 1.4g fine sea salt, and 3.4g baking soda. Mix them well.
- Add 80ml brewed strong espresso coffee (cooled) and half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and mix with the beater.
- Add 100ml brewed strong espresso coffee (cooled) and the other half of the dry ingredients to the mixture, and mix with the beater.
- Pour into the prepared circular 20cm light aluminum baking pan, smooth out the top, and place into the preheated oven (175°C).
Best Answer
With a batter like this there are several things that can go wrong. My first guess would be, that the cake would have come out much different had you made the full recipe. When using only a third of the batter you have an increase in surface area compared to the inside of the cake. Not knowing the exact circumstances, I assume your cake dried out a bit too much while baking, especially around the edge. Higher cakes tend to be a bit more moist and also a bit more dense, which makes them more stable.
Another thing could be, that you didn't let the cake cool enough, before removing the parchment.
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Why is my cake too delicate?
If you added too much sugar, shortening or leavening, or too few eggs, your cake might crumble too easily. Just be more careful next time.Why is my cake too soft and breaking?
The most common causes are: The flour is too soft. The batter is too soft. The batter is too lightly aerated (either from overmixing or from too much baking powder)Why does chocolate cake break so easily?
When your oven is too toasty, the outside layer of the cake receives more heat than the batter within. This causes the exterior and the interior to mature at different rates. The crust cooks a lot faster than the cake's innards and this causes cracks to appear.Why does my cake break so easily?
The oven temperature is too high. If the top crust forms and sets before the cake has finished rising, the middle will try to push through the crust as it continues to bake, causing it to crack and possibly dome. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and reduce the temperature accordingly if it is running hot.Simple Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe | Basic recipe for beginners
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Answer 2
Doming and cracking is because hes using a varm oven. Crust forms ontop while the inside still is expanding. Check your oven temperature. It may be 20deg off.
As he says in the video, let it rest for at least 30min before removing form and parchment.
You may try removing some sugar to stabilise the gluten.
Butter the parchment as well.
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