Chocolate layer cake tears easily
I really like the chocolate cake recipe that appears on Hershey cocoa boxes. It's very rich and moist. It uses oil and boiled water to give you an idea of the type of recipe.
I always make it in a rectangular pan for a single layer because when I bake two round layers and try to stack them, I find that the cake is too tender and the top layer splits and the pieces slide off. This is without any handling other than assembling the layers. Note that it's not cracking/splitting in the pan during baking.
How can I prevent this? I've tried cooking the cake well after it's done, which it seems to tolerate, but that hasn't helped.
I've also considered adding less water, beating the batter longer or adding more eggs but haven't tried these ideas.
Best Answer
As cascabel mentions, it sounds like the bottom layer may be domed - if so, that uneven surface can encourage splitting by having uneven tension along the bottom.
One possible remedy, then, is to level the bottom cake. you'll end up with scraps, from cutting to smooth the cake top, but it should help keep the level from splitting and sliding.
Another possible remedy is, flipping the bottom cake over before stacking the upper layer. This will give a smooth top, and the pressure should even out the rounded bottom without need for cutting. I've only heard of this, not tried it, so I can't say for sure it will work - but it was mentioned as a possibility for a for soft tender cake, which this is (I can see it not working for a denser or sturdier baked good).
One outside possibility... you might try cooling the cake before stacking. Hot, or even warm, cake tends to be more fragile, and warmer icing more slidy. If you are already waiting until the cake is fully cool before trying to stack, you might try going even further and chilling in the fridge (or even freezing) before assembly with the idea it can come up to temperature before serving - it'll be more likely to stay put warming up when already stably affixed, under the theory an object at rest likes to stay at rest :)
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Why is my cake crumbling and falling apart?
A cake is crumbly because of using too much flour, overmixing cake batter, not adding enough shortening, or not adding enough sugar. Flour contains gluten which, in excessive or small amounts, can change the structural integrity of the cake by making it crumbly and moist.Why did my 3 layer cake fall apart?
Turning a warm or hot cake out of a baking pan too quickly, will crack and fall apart. Cake layers that cool in the pan too long will stick unless lined with parchment paper. If your cake has cooled in pan and was greased with shortening & flour, this will cause the cake layers to stick in cake pans.Why is my chocolate cake crumbly but moist?
Dense cakes result from flours with a high protein content and from using too much flour in the dough. If your cake falls apart when cutting and you used all-purpose flour in your recipe, the high gluten content is why you have a cake that's moist but crumbly.DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE | How to Make a Tasty Layered Cake | Dessert Ideas | Baking Cherry
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