Loaf Cakes Always Sink in The Centre
Every time I bake something in a loaf pan, the centre doesn’t cook and the loaf sinks - badly. The edges are well cooked. This happens on more than one recipe: Lemon Loaf, Banana Loaf, etc. But items that I bake in round or rectangular cake pans turn out fine.
The attached image is the worst example.
I’ve checked the following:
-ingredients like eggs, milk, etc are not cold from fridge.
-baking powder and baking soda work well in other recipes, so are not expired.
-oven temperature is spot on, verified digitally
I’ve tried:
- reducing oven temp 25 degrees F (eg from 350 F to 325 F) I even tried 300F!
- adding more flour to make thicker batter
- putting foil around outside of loaf pan to reflect heat.
- adding an extra egg yolk.
- reducing balking powder (or baking soda depending on recipe..)
- using full fat dairy, (eg sour cream or milk, etc) instead of "lite"
- baking for a longer time so that centre finally sets. In this case, the outside of the loaf cake overcooks and is hard a
s a rock.
The loaf pans are from Baker’s Secret, and although the pans are dark, I’m sure thousands of people around the world use these pans. Besides, I did try one experiment in which I lined the outside of the pan with aluminum foil - no difference
Any suggestions appreciated
It seesm to happn on any loaf pan recipe. Here's an example that sunk: Bon Appetit's Best Banana Bread
Best Answer
I think you were absolutely on the right path - what you need is a lower temperature for a longer time. Many of your observations in your answer point in that direction - the liquid core, the fact that the crust overbakes when you bake longer, and the fact that the same recipe works well in a flatter shape (in a rectangular pan), where the heat reaches the core quicker.
You wrote that you have already tried it - it just seems that you didn't go far enough. Temperature is just a number, you have to change the temperature until the results are good, not the other way round.
The other thing you can consider is turning off any convection function, if you have one. It will bake slower, but more evenly.
Pictures about "Loaf Cakes Always Sink in The Centre"
Quick Answer about "Loaf Cakes Always Sink in The Centre"
- Using a Cake Pan That's the Wrong Size or Shape. ...
- Baking in an Oven That's Too Hot or Cold. ...
- Using Too Much Baking Powder or Baking Soda. ...
- Undermixing the Cake Batter. ...
- Over-Aerating the Batter. ...
- Underbaking Your Cakes. ...
- Rotating the Cake Pans at the Wrong Time.
Why did my loaf cake sink in the middle?
Too much leavening agent like baking soda or powder can cause a cake to rise too high too quickly. The gas from the leavening agents builds up and escapes before the cake bakes through in the center. This causes the center to collapse and makes your cake layers sink in the middle.WHY DID YOUR CAKE SINK IN THE MIDDLE??
More answers regarding loaf Cakes Always Sink in The Centre
Answer 2
If food is burning, overcooking or drying out on the outside, but is still raw in the middle as shown in the example, then the oven is too hot and you didn't cook it for long enough.
This could possibly be caused by confusion over oven types (ie. conventional versus fan oven) and the cooking temperature and times given in the recipe. This could be even more crucial since a loaf tin constrains the batter to a thicker/taller shape (a loaf) compared to something more spread out with a larger surface area such as a round cake tin.
Recipes should always mention which type of oven the temperatures and times are intended for, and preferably give conversions for each type. If not, then find a better recipe that does.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Element5 Digital, Los Muertos Crew, SHVETS production, Max Vakhtbovych