6 Common Cake Baking Mistakes

Here is a rundown of some common mishaps that happen when making a cake from scratch and how you can avoid them:


1.  If your cake is too heavy
       
       This is sometimes caused by the oven's heat being a little too low or by using too much sugar, butter or shortening.


2.  Coarse-grained cakes
       
       If you're cake is very coarse and grainy, this could be the result of too much leavening ingredients, such as baking powder being used.  It can also be caused be insufficient beating of butter and sugar or because the butter wasn't beaten enough before the addition of eggs.  Basically, a coarse, grainy cake is the bi-product of not mixing them ingredients together well.  The ingredients won't be incorporated while baking so this will leave dry spots.



3.  Cake Falls Flat

       When a cake falls flat, this is the result of using too little flour or rising ingredients.  The temperature in the oven could have also been too high.  If you move a cake in the oven after the cake has risen, but before the cell walls have become fixed or firmed by the heat your cake will fall flat, as well.



4.  A "bready", too-solid consistency

       A cake turns out with a solid and bready texture when too much flour has been used.


5.  Cake has an uneven surface

       When an oven is too hot, it can cause a cake to present an uneven surface.  Be sure to put your cake in the middle rack of the oven, to avoid uneven consistency.  When the heat is too hot or uneven, the top of the cake crusts over before the internal mixture has risen to its full height and bursts at its weakest place, which is usually the top.



6.  Streaking on the bottom

       A heavy streak at the bottom of a cake is usually caused by using too many egg yolks in proportion to other ingredients, or by having the heat too low and baking the cake too slowly.




That's my cake baking PSA for the day!