Why might a cake collapse after cooking

Why might a cake collapse after cooking - Person Holding Stainless Steel Cup and Spoon

I have successfuly made a Lemon Drizzle cake (recipe at end) several times, but the last 3 attempts have all collapsed in the middle to some extent.

One of the attempts collapsed in such a way it almost ended up like a ring, with a 6 cm chasm in the middle.

The ingredients and techniques have mostly been consistent

  • mixer: kitchen aid
  • oven: Aga
  • fat: originally used butter, 2 of the failed cakes used soft margarine. The last used butter. Uncertain whether any of the butter was salted.
  • flour. last techniques have used a new brand of Self Raising flour

Ingredients

  • 225g unsalted butter , softened
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • finely grated zest 1 lemon
  • 225g self raising flour

topping (although it collapses before this)

  • juice 11⁄2 lemon
  • 85g caster sugar

Recipe

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top.

Bake @ 180 c for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then serve.

Note it collapses while cooling in its tin and isn't directly related to pricking the cake.

bakingcake


Best Answer

It's possible that your new brand of self raising flower has more raising agent. This causes a initial raise to happen faster resulting in large 'bubbles' that are less stable. The cake rises higher and then is more prone to falls.

Fast changes in temperature or air pressure will cause the cake to collapse. That means every time you open the oven, or if your oven isn't very air tight every time you open an close the kitchen door. Loud slams of doors are especially bad.

Higher levels of raising agent are especially an issue if you live at a higher elevation or if there is low air pressure that day.



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Quick Answer about "Why might a cake collapse after cooking"

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 do cakes collapse after baking?

Too Much Leavening -- As counter-intuitive as it might sound, adding too much baking powder, baking soda, or yeast to a cake will cause it to sink as the amount of air that is created within the cake will be more than the structure can support and the whole thing will come crashing down.

How do you keep a cake from collapsing?

How to Keep a Cake From Falling After Baking
  • Follow the Recipe Closely.
  • Check Your Leavening Agent.
  • Use Room Temperature Eggs and Butter for Creaming.
  • Don't Overmix.
  • Always Preheat the Oven.
  • Bake at the Right Temperature.
  • Bake Long Enough.



    • Why Does My Cake Sink In The Middle?



    More answers regarding why might a cake collapse after cooking

    Answer 2

    A possibility is that it may be under-baked in the middle, if it isn't completely cooked the structure won't have the stability to hold the cake up. Try baking it longer.

    Do you have an oven thermometer? It could be your oven isn't holding 180 as set.

    Answer 3

    I think @rumtscho gave the answer to your problem when he stated "your cake is rising to more than the flour's ability to hold the rise".

    If your cakes didn't fall when you didn't use that new brand of flour, and are consistently falling when you are using it, we can point to a guilty.

    Why would it be the flour?

    (and, if so, how to avoid it keeping falling)

    Your recipe calls for a lot of fat and sugar. Fats affect gluten bonds, and sugar softens it. That's why strong flours are should be used in cakes having them.

    If that new flour is not a strong one, it might not be able to hold itselft even if it doesn't rise too much.

    Another point is the rising agent in that flour. First chemical raising agents were just plain baking soda. You had to add an acid to let them make a chemical reaction that would release gas. That's why most recipes call for lemmon or buttermilk as ingredients.

    Modern chemical raising agents include salts that, when heated, release (or get transformed into) acid. It means that, once in the oven, the cake will rise more.

    My guess is that your cake is rising more than normal due to the combination of self rasing agent + lemon zest. Also, the flour is probably a weak one, suitable for cookies, but not for this recipe of cake.

    If you don't want to change the flour for a stronger one, you can try avoiding the lemmon in your dough's recipe.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, cottonbro, cottonbro

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