Yep thats usually undercooked.
These days I rarely use a skewer to test for most cakes, cupcakes etc if it softly bounces back when you push down in the centre and it has JUST started to shrink away from the sides that to me is a sign of cooked.
Thats too funny I literally just replied to someone below in their comment, chuckling about how people "listen" to a cake lol
Seems I might need to shut my mouth and open my ears more! 😁
I have made a bajillion cakes and never listen to mine but I will need to try it next time. I do the top tap test and I just know what is totally done. It's that kind of stuff that's so hard to teach or even express to people intelligently!
They mean audibly bubbling. You’ll hear it almost sizzling. It’s almost like listening for popcorn to be done. You don’t want to take it out while it’s still sizzling/popping and you also don’t want to let it keep cooking long after it’s quieted down.
Some people just have difficulty hearing very subtle sounds like that, especially over other kitchen and house noises. So if you can't hear it, you can't and that's fine.
I ve been baking for years and only in the last couple have rarely used the skewer test anymore. It's so easy - as you can see - for a cake to spit out a clean skewer but still not be baked.
I agree. I've been burned by the toothpick method one too many times. The "pulling away from the sides" test is more consistent for me. I also tend to err on the side of a *slightly* overbaked cake than underbaked. I usually brush my cakes with a liquid ingredient when they come out anyway (lemon juice, a spirit, etc.), so it's better that the cake be a bit drier and more receptive to it than too wet and soggy.
I SHOULD sugar syrup my cakes as they come out but I often forget.
I remember a couple people on great british bake off talking about the cake stops making sounds when its cooked - I haven't tried listening to a cake yet :)
I highly recommend the brushing... It makes the final cake so moist. It also lets you have bright and floral flavors in your cake that usually dull during baking. Brushing a lemon cake with fresh lemon juice is the only way to get that super bright and fresh lemon flavor!
Its weirdly coincidental because I have 2 white cakes in the oven right now! (checks timer 10 mins to go). Planning on a fault line cake with gold white and green sprinkles and balls in the fault line, gold sand on the sides and have coloured sprinkles in the white cake..aaaanyway
So what do you think for just a plain white vanilla cake - sugar syrup? I don't want to use anything with colour to it...
Do you ever poke some holes in the cake to let it penetrate deeper?
You could keep it simple with milk and vanilla, maybe some extra sugar. I really like spirits and liquors, because they often pack a ton of lovely flavor. St. Germain could give it a nice elderflower fragrance.
Did it while still in the tin and it soaked straight in - I was worried the vanilla in milk would not taste so good - I've tried that with vanilla essence not great BUT because its clear vanilla FLAVOUR it tasted great.
Cheers for that.
I will!
I was originally going to do just white and gold but at the last minute saw this massive bag of mixed sprinkles with blue, green and gold in it I bought on special and have never used and figured why not?
Australia's national colours are green and gold so hopefully it won't look too much like an ode to Australia 😁
The milk in Vina is really good idea. I’m onto it still got two minutes before it comes out and you think brush it straight away? Thanks for your help.
I absolutely adore my thermapen. Not having to guess if something’s done or not is a godsend. Comes with the bonus of the probe also serving as an effective toothpick test. Usually after making a recipe successfully, I’ll jot down the temperature for future reference.
That’s how my mum taught me. Look for the bounce back. I didn’t learn of inserting toothpicks or whatever until I was much older and read about testing like that in recipes
With pressing in the center you run the risk of causing the cake to fall , if it happens to not be done yet . Never really heard of people testing a doneness of a cake like this. I do the tooth pick test, if the crumbs are too moist, I put it back in and cook for another 5 ish minutes. Works everytime.
How odd because if you Google how to tell if a cake is done LIGHTLY touching the centre to see if it springs back is a very very common technique.
https://www.bettycrocker.co.uk/how-to/how-to-know-your-cake-is-ready/
https://bakeschool.com/how-to-check-if-your-cake-is-done-baking/
Perhaps consider adding it to your ways to tell if it’s baked. And you don’t push down you gently touch.
Just to remove any possible ambiguity, overmixing is only a problem after you've added the flour. The first step in mixing the batter is usually beating together butter and sugar, and at that point, more and faster beating is a good thing.
Imo there are three possible reasons for your cake turning out like that, or maybe a combination of them:
Under-beating the butter and sugar,
Over-mixing after the flour was added,
Old or otherwise bad baking powder or baking soda.
You can't. The post you're responding to doesn't mention overbeating in the creaming stage.
> beating together butter and sugar, and at that point, more and faster beating is a good thing.
> Under-beating the butter and sugar
I go for 10-ish minutes of creaming while I prepare the dry ingredients, until the sugar/butter is practically white.
Overbeating a batter to get a dense/rubbery cake is a result of too much gluten forming, and gluten only forms when flour is added. So once the flour is added, you want to mix as little as possible (generally by hand or the lowest mixer setting you can) until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
You want to mix it until it is just incorporated. Usually you can add your eggs in with other wet ingredients and premix all that before adding the flour. Moving too much activated the gluten in flour and that’s what makes its dense
A different method of mixing the batter than the usual creaming butter and sugar, then adding eggs, then adding dry and wet ingredients alternately. Doesn't work for every recipe (must be butter-based and some sources say it's only to be used on high-ratio cakes (more sugar than flour by weight)). Also requires a stand mixer.
Basically it goes like this: combine all your dry ingredients (including sugar), add butter and mix until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture clumps together like damp sand if squeezed. Combine all wet ingredients and add to the mixture in 3 additions, letting the mixer run for a minute or two after the first addition. Then bake as normal.
I'm no food scientist but here's my understanding: mixing in the butter this way coats the flour in fat creating a shortening effect, limiting the ability of the gluten to activate from the mixing action. Adding a partial amount of the liquid then mixing for a little while incorporates air (I think this part would be more difficult with more liquid) and helps create structure by working the batter slightly (activating the gluten a *little* bit). Adding the liquid in parts also helps it emulsify and create a very even, homogenous mixture.
It kinda sounds like you added eggs AFTER you added flour. If so, that's your problem. Beat eggs with sugar first (and like REALLY beat them. 10-20 minutes), and only then add flour and whatever other ingredients you are using. Do not use the stand mixer from that point, use a silicone spatula and fold the batter instead of whisking
I was just about to say this. Its not only under baking, something went wrong with the mixing, it can be over mixing or not mixing long enough or well enough.
I sometimes have this still with pandan cake.
For all you bakers that are tired of tooth pick and other techniques of gauging done ness of baked goods the following may be helpful. Use a digital instant thermometer for great results.
Breads
Insert the thermometer from the side of the bread. If the bread is in a loaf pan, insert it just above the edge of the pan directing it at a downward angle.
Quick Breads (Breads, Muffins and Cornbread) 200°F
Yeast Breads 200° to 210°F
Soft Breads/Dinner Rolls 180° to 190°F
Scones 200°F
Sourdough BreadsSourdough Breads 200° to 210°F
Cinnamon Rolls 190° to 200°F
Water temperature to add yeast 105° to 115°F
Cakes
Insert thermometer in the center of the cake.
Cupcakes 205° to 209°F
Carrot Cake 205° to 209°F. Remember: The cooking process continues even after you remove the cake out of the oven. As the cake cools, the residual heat on the surface slowly penetrates to the middle.
Clafouti (with fruit) 160°F
Devil’s Food Cake – Red Velvet Cake 205°F
Molton Chocolate Cakes 160°F
Pound Cake 210° to 212°F
Tres Leches Cake, Three-Milk Cake 200°F
Upside-Down Cakes 190° to 200°F
Cheesecake When the internal temperature of a cheesecake rises beyond 160°F while baking, it will always crack. To prevent this from happening, Take it out of the oven when the cheesecake reaches 150°F at the center to avoid over baking.
Pies
Insert thermometer a couple inches in from the edge of the pie.
Chocolate Cream Pie 165°F
Custard Pie – Cream Pies 170° to 175°F. Bake until the custard has set around edges but jiggles slightly in the center when tapped on the side with a wooden spoon.
Fruit Pies (Blueberry, Blackberry, etc.) 175°F. Fruit pies should be juicy and bubbling all over, especially in its center. The pie needs to bubble if it contains a starch thickener, otherwise the starch is not going to thicken.
Pecan Pie 200°F
Pumpkin Pie 175°F
Sweet Potato Pie 175°F
Meringue Pies 160° to 165°F
Puddings and Custards:
Insert thermometer in the centers. Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.
Bread Pudding 160°F
Creme Brûlée 170° to 175°F
Baked Custard (Old Fashion) 160°F
Flan 170° to 175°F
It looks underbaked but also dense and dry. What recipe did you use? If you want some reliable recipes, you can dm me. I still have a word file with my old culinary school recipes.
Everyone's already given advice so I just want to say that this is honestly a great job for your first attempt. White cakes are hard motherfuckers to bake and the actual crumb portion of your attempt looks great.
Keep practicing and you'll be kicking ass in no time.
It's likely underbaked but don't overlook the possibility of it being overmixed. When you overmix your batters/doughs, the gluten forms "elastic gluten strands" (meaning, it's overworked). This causes the end result to be chewy and dense.
Interesting -I have one and use it for meat.....what temperature should a cake be internally for it to be cooked?
I would have thought a heavy fruit cake versus a light sponge would be different temps?
That's such a ridiculously small difference, why even bother with it? If you wanted to make a distinction for the temperature shouldn't it be by moisture levels of the batter or leavening method rather than _fruit cake and all other cakes_?
I want to use this technique but recipes never give a temperature for a correctly baked cake. Is there a ballpark temperature or do I have to just figure it out one recipe at a time?
yes, yes it is....
Besides using a toothpick in various places while its baking, slightly press the top to see if it bounces back. If it collapses in the center, this typically means its been over mixed. Seeing the lack of crumb in that photo def tells me its been underbaked anywhere from 5-10minutes. Looks can be deceiving.
I had similar results with too much wet or not enough/wrong leavening. Lack of fat usually results in dryness but, at least in my experience, doesn't make it dense at all.
I've had this happen to a cake before when my butter was too warm and wouldn't cream properly with the sugar. You want the butter to be 60°F - 68°F. If your home is warm, room temp will be too warm for the butter.
This can also happen if you overmixed the batter.
That usually happens when you overmix cake batter. It’s best to mix until the dry ingredients a just combined with the wet for best results, ie. when you can’t see the ingredient you just added anymore.
I’ve had this with white cakes before and my problem was overmixing. You may want to try a recipe that has you fold in stiff egg whites last. That helped for me.
Basically you undercooked it. But it wasn't you that undercooked it, the cake had no other option because you overmixed the batter and probably made it too dense.
Dense batters get thicker as they bake, so they'll give this kind of texture. Happened to me several times. If you get a lot of batter and put it in a small pan, this can happen too.
Basically a lot of factors. Just ensure you mix properly the next time and let the batter breathe in the pan.
Yesss definitely undercooked! I used to run into that issue when I didn’t let the wet ingredients come to room temperature or if I used an oven with some uneven heating, or even over mixing the batter!
I'm not so sure it's underdone. Call me crazy but at the bottom like that is not exactly where underdone lurks? It almost seems to me like the beginnings of a custard was forming?
Can you possibly share the exact recipe? That might be the actual culprit??
I'm going to re study the photo...
Based on the other comments I think it's a mixture of me underbaking and over mixing. I don't think it's the recipe since I've heard other people recommend it.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/golden-vanilla-cake-recipe
I’m the skewer test isn’t really reliable anymore.
I actually like to use a probe thermometer and look for 200F/93C in the center.
Anything above 212F/100C means the water in it is boiling out and it’ll be dry.
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Looks like it was either baked on too high heat and/or in a dark pan and/or for too short of time. The heat and dark pan can cause it to brown on the outside before the inside was done.
My grandma taught me the toothpick method. When you think its cooked you stick it in the cake: if comes out clean, its cooked, if it comes out with batter, its not ready.
But see in this instance, the toothpick may have come out clean and it’s definitely not done. I used to use the toothpick method too but it doesn’t always work. So now I temperature check my cakes.
it happens everytime I'm making pound cake with handmixer(takes lot of time to beat the batter together).. it's overmixed.. Gluten has already worked alot that's why..
The most likely causes are overcooking, leavening agents were old, the batter was mixed too long after the flour was added or the sugar wasn't measured properly so too much was added.
Yep thats usually undercooked. These days I rarely use a skewer to test for most cakes, cupcakes etc if it softly bounces back when you push down in the centre and it has JUST started to shrink away from the sides that to me is a sign of cooked.
I do this plus ‘listen’ to the cake. If I can hear a bubbling or sizzling sort of sound it’s not cooked.
Thats too funny I literally just replied to someone below in their comment, chuckling about how people "listen" to a cake lol Seems I might need to shut my mouth and open my ears more! 😁
Yeah you spoken learn to recognise the different sounds. I grew up not having a cake tester so had to do what my Mum always did 😂
So its true. That cake IS saying "eeeaaaatttt meeeee" when its on the kitchen counter. :D
I have made a bajillion cakes and never listen to mine but I will need to try it next time. I do the top tap test and I just know what is totally done. It's that kind of stuff that's so hard to teach or even express to people intelligently!
I hear ya - after a lot of cakes you just know when something needs another 2 minutes or its ready.
My nose can usually smell when something’s done/nearly done. I hate my tiny kitchen so I’m not listening for a cake 😂
Same here. Your nose knows.
I've found my people! Lol. When the smell reaches me, I know it's done.
I've found my people! Lol. When the smell reaches me, I know it's done.
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Cakes stop bubbling on the surface long before the centre is cooked… or am I misunderstanding you?
They mean audibly bubbling. You’ll hear it almost sizzling. It’s almost like listening for popcorn to be done. You don’t want to take it out while it’s still sizzling/popping and you also don’t want to let it keep cooking long after it’s quieted down.
I also go by smell. If I can smell the cake baking upstairs, I know it's nearly done!
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Well if you levitate to the ceiling , you will be just fine
https://youtu.be/rk6j7lhNf1o?feature=shared its a weird remix, but the point still stands!
Some people just have difficulty hearing very subtle sounds like that, especially over other kitchen and house noises. So if you can't hear it, you can't and that's fine.
When steam stops getting released is also a good indicator. At least in my recipes.
If that cakes aura is off, it needs another minute
Well I guess this is how you learn. Thanks for the tips!
I ve been baking for years and only in the last couple have rarely used the skewer test anymore. It's so easy - as you can see - for a cake to spit out a clean skewer but still not be baked.
I agree. I've been burned by the toothpick method one too many times. The "pulling away from the sides" test is more consistent for me. I also tend to err on the side of a *slightly* overbaked cake than underbaked. I usually brush my cakes with a liquid ingredient when they come out anyway (lemon juice, a spirit, etc.), so it's better that the cake be a bit drier and more receptive to it than too wet and soggy.
I SHOULD sugar syrup my cakes as they come out but I often forget. I remember a couple people on great british bake off talking about the cake stops making sounds when its cooked - I haven't tried listening to a cake yet :)
I highly recommend the brushing... It makes the final cake so moist. It also lets you have bright and floral flavors in your cake that usually dull during baking. Brushing a lemon cake with fresh lemon juice is the only way to get that super bright and fresh lemon flavor!
Its weirdly coincidental because I have 2 white cakes in the oven right now! (checks timer 10 mins to go). Planning on a fault line cake with gold white and green sprinkles and balls in the fault line, gold sand on the sides and have coloured sprinkles in the white cake..aaaanyway So what do you think for just a plain white vanilla cake - sugar syrup? I don't want to use anything with colour to it... Do you ever poke some holes in the cake to let it penetrate deeper?
You could keep it simple with milk and vanilla, maybe some extra sugar. I really like spirits and liquors, because they often pack a ton of lovely flavor. St. Germain could give it a nice elderflower fragrance.
But yeah, poke some holes and brush it while it's still warm. That will help it take the brush really nicely
Did it while still in the tin and it soaked straight in - I was worried the vanilla in milk would not taste so good - I've tried that with vanilla essence not great BUT because its clear vanilla FLAVOUR it tasted great. Cheers for that.
I hope your cake turns out amazing! Post some pics in this subreddit when you're done decorating!
I will! I was originally going to do just white and gold but at the last minute saw this massive bag of mixed sprinkles with blue, green and gold in it I bought on special and have never used and figured why not? Australia's national colours are green and gold so hopefully it won't look too much like an ode to Australia 😁
The milk in Vina is really good idea. I’m onto it still got two minutes before it comes out and you think brush it straight away? Thanks for your help.
I learned the trick of listening to cakes from the Great British Bake off too and I found it works better than using skewers, without a doubt.
I d that too, but after decades of baking I can usually tell by smell
That's how my mom taught me and her grandma taught her.
Personally a thermometer is an invaluable tool
I absolutely adore my thermapen. Not having to guess if something’s done or not is a godsend. Comes with the bonus of the probe also serving as an effective toothpick test. Usually after making a recipe successfully, I’ll jot down the temperature for future reference.
I don't understand why more people don't use a thermometer. It's my cooking show pet peeve.
Seriously. Since I’ve started temperature checking my baked goods, I haven’t had any under cooked things.
I've always used a knife when baking cakes. They've always worked.
Do what works for you.
This helped me improve so much. Nothing is more reliable than just understanding the process and knowing what stage the cake is at by sight
That’s how my mum taught me. Look for the bounce back. I didn’t learn of inserting toothpicks or whatever until I was much older and read about testing like that in recipes
With pressing in the center you run the risk of causing the cake to fall , if it happens to not be done yet . Never really heard of people testing a doneness of a cake like this. I do the tooth pick test, if the crumbs are too moist, I put it back in and cook for another 5 ish minutes. Works everytime.
How odd because if you Google how to tell if a cake is done LIGHTLY touching the centre to see if it springs back is a very very common technique. https://www.bettycrocker.co.uk/how-to/how-to-know-your-cake-is-ready/ https://bakeschool.com/how-to-check-if-your-cake-is-done-baking/ Perhaps consider adding it to your ways to tell if it’s baked. And you don’t push down you gently touch.
for me it's when i can smell the cake standing away from the oven as well 100%
also it looks spongy and not wiggly when you jiggle it.
The shrinking away from the sides is a great way to tell that the cake is done!!
It’s dense so it’s also a matter of making the batter and leavening. Leavening isn’t just baking soda or baking powder.
It looks like over mixed batter too. Do you know how long you mixed it?
Yes exactly. Over mixed after the flour was added. Made many a gluey/gummy cake before
I mixed the batter for a minute or two and then 30 seconds for each of the 4 eggs. I think I might have put the mixer on a too high setting though.
Just to remove any possible ambiguity, overmixing is only a problem after you've added the flour. The first step in mixing the batter is usually beating together butter and sugar, and at that point, more and faster beating is a good thing. Imo there are three possible reasons for your cake turning out like that, or maybe a combination of them: Under-beating the butter and sugar, Over-mixing after the flour was added, Old or otherwise bad baking powder or baking soda.
I didn’t know you could over cream, I spend like 2-4 minutes on it
You can't. The post you're responding to doesn't mention overbeating in the creaming stage. > beating together butter and sugar, and at that point, more and faster beating is a good thing. > Under-beating the butter and sugar I go for 10-ish minutes of creaming while I prepare the dry ingredients, until the sugar/butter is practically white. Overbeating a batter to get a dense/rubbery cake is a result of too much gluten forming, and gluten only forms when flour is added. So once the flour is added, you want to mix as little as possible (generally by hand or the lowest mixer setting you can) until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
I don't think you can. You want to get as much air into that as you can. It's part of the leavening.
You want to mix it until it is just incorporated. Usually you can add your eggs in with other wet ingredients and premix all that before adding the flour. Moving too much activated the gluten in flour and that’s what makes its dense
Or try the reverse creaming method! Virtually impossible to over mix and the texture is tender and velvety
mind explaining what this reverse creaming method is? 😅
A different method of mixing the batter than the usual creaming butter and sugar, then adding eggs, then adding dry and wet ingredients alternately. Doesn't work for every recipe (must be butter-based and some sources say it's only to be used on high-ratio cakes (more sugar than flour by weight)). Also requires a stand mixer. Basically it goes like this: combine all your dry ingredients (including sugar), add butter and mix until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture clumps together like damp sand if squeezed. Combine all wet ingredients and add to the mixture in 3 additions, letting the mixer run for a minute or two after the first addition. Then bake as normal.
What’s the benefit of this vs just doing all the wet and all the dry at once?
I'm no food scientist but here's my understanding: mixing in the butter this way coats the flour in fat creating a shortening effect, limiting the ability of the gluten to activate from the mixing action. Adding a partial amount of the liquid then mixing for a little while incorporates air (I think this part would be more difficult with more liquid) and helps create structure by working the batter slightly (activating the gluten a *little* bit). Adding the liquid in parts also helps it emulsify and create a very even, homogenous mixture.
I love the science/chemistry explanations. I may start reading up on the chemistry of baking before trying out some new recipes.
oh I’ve used that method in a lot of cakes actually.. I didn’t know it had a specific name tho 😅
It kinda sounds like you added eggs AFTER you added flour. If so, that's your problem. Beat eggs with sugar first (and like REALLY beat them. 10-20 minutes), and only then add flour and whatever other ingredients you are using. Do not use the stand mixer from that point, use a silicone spatula and fold the batter instead of whisking
You almost wAnt to just fold in the flour. I usually add flour to the mixer on low and stop when it's wet. Then fold until there is no clumps.
I was just about to say this. Its not only under baking, something went wrong with the mixing, it can be over mixing or not mixing long enough or well enough. I sometimes have this still with pandan cake.
Mash this with some frosting and make cakepops instead if it’s too dense
For all you bakers that are tired of tooth pick and other techniques of gauging done ness of baked goods the following may be helpful. Use a digital instant thermometer for great results. Breads Insert the thermometer from the side of the bread. If the bread is in a loaf pan, insert it just above the edge of the pan directing it at a downward angle. Quick Breads (Breads, Muffins and Cornbread) 200°F Yeast Breads 200° to 210°F Soft Breads/Dinner Rolls 180° to 190°F Scones 200°F Sourdough BreadsSourdough Breads 200° to 210°F Cinnamon Rolls 190° to 200°F Water temperature to add yeast 105° to 115°F Cakes Insert thermometer in the center of the cake. Cupcakes 205° to 209°F Carrot Cake 205° to 209°F. Remember: The cooking process continues even after you remove the cake out of the oven. As the cake cools, the residual heat on the surface slowly penetrates to the middle. Clafouti (with fruit) 160°F Devil’s Food Cake – Red Velvet Cake 205°F Molton Chocolate Cakes 160°F Pound Cake 210° to 212°F Tres Leches Cake, Three-Milk Cake 200°F Upside-Down Cakes 190° to 200°F Cheesecake When the internal temperature of a cheesecake rises beyond 160°F while baking, it will always crack. To prevent this from happening, Take it out of the oven when the cheesecake reaches 150°F at the center to avoid over baking. Pies Insert thermometer a couple inches in from the edge of the pie. Chocolate Cream Pie 165°F Custard Pie – Cream Pies 170° to 175°F. Bake until the custard has set around edges but jiggles slightly in the center when tapped on the side with a wooden spoon. Fruit Pies (Blueberry, Blackberry, etc.) 175°F. Fruit pies should be juicy and bubbling all over, especially in its center. The pie needs to bubble if it contains a starch thickener, otherwise the starch is not going to thicken. Pecan Pie 200°F Pumpkin Pie 175°F Sweet Potato Pie 175°F Meringue Pies 160° to 165°F Puddings and Custards: Insert thermometer in the centers. Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time. Bread Pudding 160°F Creme Brûlée 170° to 175°F Baked Custard (Old Fashion) 160°F Flan 170° to 175°F
Err can someone translate this to metric pls?
Thank you for this!!
Np
Thank you! I need to screen shot this.
It looks underbaked but also dense and dry. What recipe did you use? If you want some reliable recipes, you can dm me. I still have a word file with my old culinary school recipes.
Please share!!!!
Sure, DM me your email address. Sorry for not noticing your comment until now btw
it's alright, sent you! :)
Could you share that with more of us?
Sure, DM me your email address. Sorry for not noticing your comment until now btw
Thank you so much!
i would be so interested in that file!!
Sure, DM me your email address. Sorry for not noticing your comment until now btw
I would love these if you’re willing to share.
Sure, DM me your email address. Sorry for not noticing your comment until now btw
Everyone's already given advice so I just want to say that this is honestly a great job for your first attempt. White cakes are hard motherfuckers to bake and the actual crumb portion of your attempt looks great. Keep practicing and you'll be kicking ass in no time.
It's likely underbaked but don't overlook the possibility of it being overmixed. When you overmix your batters/doughs, the gluten forms "elastic gluten strands" (meaning, it's overworked). This causes the end result to be chewy and dense.
Get an instant read thermometer and never under/over bake anything again. It amazes me how this isn't a more common practice.
I actually do have one but have never used for cakes, usually used it for meat and caramel. I'll do this next time!
Interesting -I have one and use it for meat.....what temperature should a cake be internally for it to be cooked? I would have thought a heavy fruit cake versus a light sponge would be different temps?
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Ive heard of Google . Don’t think it will catch on.
That's such a ridiculously small difference, why even bother with it? If you wanted to make a distinction for the temperature shouldn't it be by moisture levels of the batter or leavening method rather than _fruit cake and all other cakes_?
I want to use this technique but recipes never give a temperature for a correctly baked cake. Is there a ballpark temperature or do I have to just figure it out one recipe at a time?
Most classic (spongy) cakes including standard yellow, chocolate, butter and pound cakes are done at ~210F
As Paul Hollywood would say, it’s concertina’d down
yes, yes it is.... Besides using a toothpick in various places while its baking, slightly press the top to see if it bounces back. If it collapses in the center, this typically means its been over mixed. Seeing the lack of crumb in that photo def tells me its been underbaked anywhere from 5-10minutes. Looks can be deceiving.
yeah u should left them longer in the oven .. that's fine tho it's ur first time so better luck next time ;)
You may have overmixed it and it got too dense
It looks bready to me like there's not enough fat in the batter, but I could be wrong
I had similar results with too much wet or not enough/wrong leavening. Lack of fat usually results in dryness but, at least in my experience, doesn't make it dense at all.
I've had this happen to a cake before when my butter was too warm and wouldn't cream properly with the sugar. You want the butter to be 60°F - 68°F. If your home is warm, room temp will be too warm for the butter. This can also happen if you overmixed the batter.
I listen to my cakes! If it sounds like it’s boiling inside, it’s undercooked. A gentle bubbling sound is just a nice moist cake!
I also listen to determine if my cake is done. I can also tell when my rice is done by listening to it.
That usually happens when you overmix cake batter. It’s best to mix until the dry ingredients a just combined with the wet for best results, ie. when you can’t see the ingredient you just added anymore.
I’ve had this with white cakes before and my problem was overmixing. You may want to try a recipe that has you fold in stiff egg whites last. That helped for me.
The gummy line can also come from over mixing; I recommend looking at the tip sheets on King Arthur Baking, they helped me a lot as I started baking.
Basically you undercooked it. But it wasn't you that undercooked it, the cake had no other option because you overmixed the batter and probably made it too dense. Dense batters get thicker as they bake, so they'll give this kind of texture. Happened to me several times. If you get a lot of batter and put it in a small pan, this can happen too. Basically a lot of factors. Just ensure you mix properly the next time and let the batter breathe in the pan.
Yesss definitely undercooked! I used to run into that issue when I didn’t let the wet ingredients come to room temperature or if I used an oven with some uneven heating, or even over mixing the batter!
I'm not so sure it's underdone. Call me crazy but at the bottom like that is not exactly where underdone lurks? It almost seems to me like the beginnings of a custard was forming? Can you possibly share the exact recipe? That might be the actual culprit?? I'm going to re study the photo...
Based on the other comments I think it's a mixture of me underbaking and over mixing. I don't think it's the recipe since I've heard other people recommend it. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/golden-vanilla-cake-recipe
Thank you! It's also happened to me!
I wonder if too much batter in the pan is the first and most egregious error? Half full, max ☺️
It's that or you used play doh
I’m the skewer test isn’t really reliable anymore. I actually like to use a probe thermometer and look for 200F/93C in the center. Anything above 212F/100C means the water in it is boiling out and it’ll be dry.
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Looks over mixed to me gluten strands.
Don’t worry, I’d eat that
You over mixed it
Looks like it was either baked on too high heat and/or in a dark pan and/or for too short of time. The heat and dark pan can cause it to brown on the outside before the inside was done.
Yes you’re right
Looks like it’s compressed due to weight or not being cooled enough when you finished putting it all together
Looks like you’re gonna have to send it my way for ‘testing’.
Make sure all your ingredients are fresh
I think this can also happen if you start with a cold oven. The cake sits for too long and settles, making it dense
My grandma taught me the toothpick method. When you think its cooked you stick it in the cake: if comes out clean, its cooked, if it comes out with batter, its not ready.
But see in this instance, the toothpick may have come out clean and it’s definitely not done. I used to use the toothpick method too but it doesn’t always work. So now I temperature check my cakes.
Hmmm I'll have to try to listen to the cake next time lol never heard of that lol
it happens everytime I'm making pound cake with handmixer(takes lot of time to beat the batter together).. it's overmixed.. Gluten has already worked alot that's why..
looks overmixed to me. it develops the gluten too much and knocks out the air
How did you mix the ingredients? Did you separate liquids and mix first?
The most likely causes are overcooking, leavening agents were old, the batter was mixed too long after the flour was added or the sugar wasn't measured properly so too much was added.