Do Nothing Tornado Cake! - My Incredible Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why did cake not rise? ›

Cakes that don't rise properly or have a surface covered in little holes are often the result of not getting the cake into the oven quickly enough; a common mistake that happens because you forgot to turn the oven on before you started, or you get distracted with something else mid-way through mixing.

To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.

My cake is very dense.

This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.

You need to incorporate enough air during the creaming process to achieve a light and fluffy cake, without over or undermixing. Incorporate too little air and your cake won't rise enough. Too much air and your cake will collapse because it simply can't hold onto all that air.

Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder. Baking soda can be substituted for baking powder by dividing the amount of baking powder needed by 4 and adding twice that amount of cream of tartar.

Martina says, “Late in the mixing stage, eggs will incorporate better if you lightly beat them before adding to the batter.

You may know what you get when you overmix cake batter: a dense cake with tough texture (and maybe some unappetizing gluey streaks as well). But far fewer bakers know that undermixing batter can cause the same or similar results.

You need to incorporate as much air into the eggs as possible, as this is what levels the cake and will give you a light and fluffy sponge. Set a timer for 7 minutes and allow the electric mixer to do the work before adding any sugar. The eggs should triple in volume and look pale, thick and shiny.

If a recipe includes a lot of acid such as lemon juice and buttermilk and isn't lifted with enough baking powder, the cake will taste dense. In that case, you may need the addition of baking soda which will react with the acid and create a fluffier crumb.

Use “bottom heat' for baking a cake. “Top heat” which is commonly called broiling is only good for when you want to brown the top of whatever you are cooking. If you broil a cake, the cake will end up burnt on top, undercooked on the sides and bottom and raw in the middle.

What happens if you put too much flour in a cake? ›

Too Much Flour

A cake batter with too much flour will be dry, crumbly, and heavy. To avoid this, make sure you weigh your flour instead of scooping it. Although it's quick, scooping with a measuring cup can easily result in too much flour.

Yeast or baking powder, baking soda, or eggs cause cakes to rise. If the cake hasn't risen it may be because the yeast was old or not enough baking powder. Whatever the reason, if all other ingredients were fresh, the cake is safe to eat.

If your cake was cooked to the proper temperature, chances are it is still edible even if it sunk in the center. Check that it's baked through the middle, then try a small piece of your cake. It might not taste good if the ingredient measurements were off. Notice the texture to make sure it's not too dense or spongy.

An over-baked cake is dry, crumbly, and generally unpleasant to eat. It can cause your cake to become a sunken mess, and it's a waste of all the good ingredients you used.

Yeast or baking powder, baking soda, or eggs cause cakes to rise. If the cake hasn't risen it may be because the yeast was old or not enough baking powder. Whatever the reason, if all other ingredients were fresh, the cake is safe to eat.

However, if you have forgotten to add your raising agent, you can still salvage your bake and make it into something edible. As long as it's still reasonably soft, spongy and not overcooked, you can cut it into chunks and top with homemade buttercream or icing to make mini cupcakes.

Adjusting the cooking time and temperature

If your cake has a soggy middle, the first thing to try is bringing the temperature down a little and baking for slightly longer. I'd suggest reducing the temperature by 20 degrees and increasing the baking time for 7 minutes.