Why does my cake have a crater??

[Baking4fun]

Hi everyone-

For the third time now, I've pulled a cake out of the oven that has risen well on the sides, but about an inch toward the middle a giant crater begins. The very middle isn't just sunken, it's almost completely flat - like, a bad pancake flat. What could be going on? I don't think it's my oven, in part because it's not just a low spot, it's so completely flat. But I don't know, maybe that is just what happens with oven temperature fluctuation?

I thought I must be using bad baking powder, and since bought new but had the cake turn out just the same. All three cakes were butter pound cakes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible, in a section with foolproof cakes. Other possibilities I'm considering:
My hand mixer seems kind of intense, even the low setting feels rather high. Maybe I'm over beating it by following her instructions and beating on high 90 seconds after adding the butter to the dry ingredients, then again on high for 20 seconds after adding the egg mixture?

I'm using White Lily all purpose flower instead of cake flour. What I've read online made me think that would be fine, but maybe not? Why would this be what happens? I've also frozen the flour previously to kill off potential pantry bugs.

Are those it? Any other ideas?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Formula does not have enough eggs. Egg is a strengthener (binder)


Flour is too weak. If the recipe calls for cake flour I would use cake flour. TBH I never had good results with White Lily in cake. Great for biscuits, but it’s meh for cake. As a general rule, always follow a recipe as written. While substitutions may work, so offered as alternatives to bakers who cannot obtain certain ingredients, they give inferior results. Baking is all science, A chemical reaction of all the ingredients to temperature in time. So the ingredients really matter.


Formula too much sugar. Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it pulls water from its environment (including from the formula). So it weakens the structure of baked goods.


Over creaming: creaming is mechanical leavening. The butter must be at the correct temperature, 65°F (18°C). AND the finished batter temperature should not be over 68°F (20°C). If the butter is at “room temperature” which is what most recipes incorrectly instruct, the butter will become too warm from beating. The plasticity of the butter is important as it will expand to trap bubbles from the leavening. If the butter is over beat (too warm) after beating it will reach its melting point too early in the baking process. The butter cannot do it’s job in the leavening process.


Formula has too much leavening. Batter expands too quickly; protein denaturalization and starch gelatinization occur at different temperatures during baking. Both are necessary to set structure. The timing of when these chemical reactions occur and the amount and rate of expansion of the batter determine the strength of the structure.


Oven Temperature is too low. Cake is best baked at 325°F (160°C). If you do not have an oven thermometer I would recommend you get one.





*Altitude: at high altitude, reduce leavening.

 

[Sharzi]

Hi everyone-

For the third time now, I've pulled a cake out of the oven that has risen well on the sides, but about an inch toward the middle a giant crater begins. The very middle isn't just sunken, it's almost completely flat - like, a bad pancake flat. What could be going on? I don't think it's my oven, in part because it's not just a low spot, it's so completely flat. But I don't know, maybe that is just what happens with oven temperature fluctuation?

I thought I must be using bad baking powder, and since bought new but had the cake turn out just the same. All three cakes were butter pound cakes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible, in a section with foolproof cakes. Other possibilities I'm considering:
My hand mixer seems kind of intense, even the low setting feels rather high. Maybe I'm over beating it by following her instructions and beating on high 90 seconds after adding the butter to the dry ingredients, then again on high for 20 seconds after adding the egg mixture?

I'm using White Lily all purpose flower instead of cake flour. What I've read online made me think that would be fine, but maybe not? Why would this be what happens? I've also frozen the flour previously to kill off potential pantry bugs.

Are those it? Any other ideas?

There is a bit of a science when it comes to baking. In this case, a couple things could be happening. First, when converting a recipe, it doesn't always come out at intended. Cake flour is milled in a different way and with different wheat than all-purpose flour. It's also bleached (making the grain less dense) and has less protein. So the consistency of your cake is going to be different.

Also, are you using a gas oven or electric? If it's gas, I always recommend putting a pan of water in the oven while baking, and lowering the heat just a tad.