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Q&A for How to Fix Cake Disasters
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QuestionWhy did all the fruit in the cake fall to the bottom?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThis can be tricky to work out but some of the reasons might be: 1. The oven door was opened too soon during baking; 2. The cake batter was not thick enough and failed to hold the fruit in place; 3. The fruit was not covered in flour before adding it (where the recipe called for this); 4. If using glazed fruit, the syrup wasn't washed off. Check also that the right type of fruit was used as called for by the recipe (fresh, dried, glazed, etc.) and that the amounts were accurate.
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QuestionWhy did my cake batter curdle?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerCurdling can occur when the ingredients are a mixture of room temperature ingredients with ingredients that are either too hot or too cold; next time ensure all ingredients are at room temperature. Or, you may have added the egg too quickly and failed to beat it sufficiently into the other ingredients; this can be avoided next time by adding a tablespoon of flour with the egg (take the tablespoon from the overall amount of flour for the recipe) and beating the egg in more slowly.
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QuestionMy bundt cake is too moist. How can I fix it?Community AnswerA cake that is too moist is often under baked, so you could try to continue the baking process until it is baked. Other reasons behind an overly moist cake include failing to completely cool it before storing or frosting the cake or storing it in too warm a place. Try putting the cake in a dry, cool place to let the moisture come out in a day. If it doesn't improve, add the cake to a dessert dish.
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QuestionI began to frost my cake and the cake began to break up into the frosting. What did I do wrong?Community AnswerThis is probably due to the cake either being under cooked and therefore still very fragile or it still being warm when adding the frosting. Another possibility is pressing too hard when adding the frosting. The frosting itself could be the cause -- if too thick or difficult to spread, this can cause the cake to break up through pressure to put it on.
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QuestionIf I overcook it by 10 minutes, will it affect the cake?Community AnswerIt is likely to burn on the top and/or bottom if you overcook it. This can be scraped or sliced off, but the cake will be slightly tainted by the burnt flavour. It may also be drier than expected.
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QuestionWhy does a cake fall while firming in the fridge?Community AnswerIt is possible that you transferred it to the fridge before allowing it to cool down completely. If it is still warm, then it is not fully firmed up and the clash of temperatures will weaken its structure when placed in the fridge, causing it to sink.
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QuestionI added a half cup too much water to mix and now have a runny batter. How do I fix it?Community AnswerYou can add a little bit more flour to it, but you may have extra cake batter.
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QuestionWhat must I do so my fruit cake comes out really fresh?Community AnswerMake syrup made up of 50 percent water and 50 percent sugar melted and put all over the cake after taking it out so it stays moist. You can also use maple syrup but it has a distinctive flavor.
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QuestionHow do I fix a cake that is crumbled?Community AnswerUse icing to stick the crumbled parts together, wait until the icing hardens, then continue decorating the cake. You can also make mini cakes out of the larger pieces instead. Lastly, you can crumble the cake up completely, mix it with frosting, and make cake pops .
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QuestionWhy does my cake sink in the middle?Community AnswerThink back to how you made the cake. If a fat and sugar were over-creamed or you added too much raising agent, these can cause a cake to sink in the middle. Another cause can be cooking at too cool a temperature or checking by opening the door too early during cooking.
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QuestionHow do I repair a fruit cake which has broken in half?Community AnswerPush the two halves together, then cover the whole cake with royal icing. Nobody will notice and when it's cut, the crumbling at the join can just be scooped onto plates and excused as part of the cutting process.
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QuestionHow do I cool a cake down faster?Community AnswerThe cake needs time to rest so once you take it out of the pan it wouldn't crumble or break. You could try putting it in the fridge for a couple minutes and then take it out of the pan.
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QuestionMy cake came out like a dumpling because I used too much flour and not enough baking powder. How can I fix it?Community AnswerFollow the recipe to the letter! Baking is science, so if you want the perfect cake, you must use the proper ingredients and the proper measurements perfectly. Otherwise, the cake will not turn out as it should.
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QuestionWhat can I do with a really hard cake?Community AnswerTurn it into trifle or some other dessert base. It needs liquid and soft foods such as cream or fruits to be place onto it, so that it can benefit from the moisture in those items. Trifles were basically invented for such a cake mishap and are therefore ideal but you can experiment with other dessert fixes too.
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QuestionIf my cake is not fully cooked can I put it back in the oven after its been cooled?suriya shazadiCommunity AnswerYes, I have done it before and my cake turned out fine
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QuestionCan crowding tins in the oven cause my chocolate cake to become slightly soggy on the top?Community AnswerYes, it can because they will not get as much heat as they would when one is by itself.
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QuestionWhy did the cake come out moist but crumbly?Community AnswerYou may have added too much butter. The butter makes the cake very moist, but if it's too much, that will make the cake fall apart because it becomes too soft.
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QuestionMy egg, sugar and flour sponge cake has a problem with too many holes in middle. What is my mistake?Community AnswerYou may be over-mixing your batter. If you mix your batter too much, air bubbles can get trapped in the batter causing holes to form in the cake.
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QuestionMy pear cake is perfectly cooked on the outside but gooey in the middle. What should I do?Community AnswerIf your cake appears cooked on the outside, but in reality is raw/undercooked in the middle, there's not much you could do with it besides bake another one. Baking it longer could burn the top layer, and removing the cooked layer so that you can put the raw one back in the oven won't work either because you'll lose the original shape of your cake.
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QuestionThe oil frequently separates out during baking, leaving a layer of oil on top of my cake. What am I doing wrong?Community AnswerMake sure the oil is completely incorporated into the batter before baking, and make sure everything is at room temperature. Also, flour your pans heavily instead of using butter or cooking spray - this reduces the oil content. If all else fails, replace the oil in the recipe with applesauce or mashed bananas (much healthier too, and does not alter the texture, and if you add extra flavoring like almond or vanilla, you'll barely taste it).
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QuestionMy already frosted cake has gooey frosting. What do I do?Community AnswerYou probably frosted it while the cake was still warm, so the frosting melted. Put the cake in the freezer until the frosting is solid but not dry, then move it to the refrigerator so it can stay cool.
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QuestionHow can I repair a rubbery fruit cake?Community AnswerSoaking it in a fruity wine works beautifully. If you don't drink, soak it in raspberry or cranberry juice.
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QuestionMy strawberry cakes always fall in the middle. I tried keeping the door closed and lowered the temperature to prevent crusty sides. What do I do?Community AnswerOkay, so first, bake them at the regular temperature - lowering it will actually make them sink even more. When you add the berries, lightly coat them in flour and fold them gently into the batter, don't beat or quickly mix them in.
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QuestionWhat caused my cake to split in two layers?Community AnswerWhat could have possibly caused it is too much activator (vinegar, baking soda, baking powder, etc.). It may have caused the cake to rise too much until it split.
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QuestionI added sugar to the dry ingredients instead of adding it to the eggs. Can it be saved?Community AnswerAbsolutely! Mix all the wet ingredients together and add them to the dry SLOWLY. Depending on how you bake personally, this might even be better. When sugar and eggs sit together for too long, the eggs can actually start to naturally cook and be ruined.
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QuestionWhat can I make with my runny cheesecake to salvage the dessert?Community AnswerMake a parfait type dessert with layers of fruit or other garnishes like crumbled cookies.
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QuestionWhat do I do if I frosted a cake too early?Community AnswerYou can always put on another layer of frosting later, once the cake has cooled. You can also decorate it with fruit to make it look better. When you eat it, you won't be able to tell that it was frosted too early.
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QuestionA piece of my cake fell out. What should I do?Community AnswerIf it's a large hole, you can try to stick the cake back on and cement it with some frosting. If the hole is small, you can just cover it up with frosting and discard the fallen cake.
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QuestionCan you suggest any ideas for a person who forgets to add the sugar to their dry ingredients?Community AnswerWrite large reminder notes on Post-Its and stick them on the recipe page. Alternatively, perhaps you are subconsciously choosing to leave sugar out. In which case, if you're happy with the end flavor, let it be. If you want to use a sugar substitute, then do so and you will probably remember because you're not so ambivalent about it as you are for sugar.
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QuestionI baked my chocolate cake with no sugar. What can I do to sweet it?Community AnswerAdd a lot of frosting, and cut extra layers to add more frosting. If all else fails, crumble the cake and put it over ice cream.
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