What causes cake cracking and how to avoid it

We all know that cake is a common dessert. It tastes sweet and delicious, and it tastes soft and delicious. Many people like to eat it. There are often various problems when making cakes, and cracking is a very common problem. So what is the reason for cake cracking? Let's take a closer look!

Causes and solutions for cake cracking

1. Baking temperature is too high

The temperature of the cake surface rises too quickly, causing the surface to color and form a crust too quickly, but the inside has not yet fully expanded. When the inside continues to expand, it will break the surface of the crust and form cracks.

Solution: Lower the temperature of the oven.

2. The proportion of wet materials in the formula is too high

For example, too much water or milk is added, too many eggs are used, etc. Too much wet material will cause the cake to be unable to support its own structure. After it is baked, the cake will collapse and crack, and the inside will feel wet.

Solution: In this case, you usually need to reduce the amount of wet ingredients such as eggs or milk in the recipe, or add a little flour.

3. Too much batter is poured into the mold

After the batter fills the mold, it continues to expand and eventually cracks from the top.

Solution: In this case, the cracked batter will be accompanied by a tall mushroom top. Just reduce the amount of batter.

4. The egg white is not whipped properly or the foam disappears when it is stirred.

This situation will not only cause the chiffon cake to crack, but also make the internal structure of the chiffon cake denser and less fluffy. There may even be a layer of dense and completely non-fluffy structure (commonly known as pudding layer) in the middle of the cake. In this case, the inside of the cake will also be wet and soft, making people feel that it is "underbaked".

Solution: To avoid this situation, pay special attention to the technique of mixing the beaten egg white and egg yolk paste. The movements should be quick and large, and stir from the bottom up to mix the batter evenly in a short time.

How to make a cake without cracking

Ingredients preparation:

5 eggs, 50g corn oil, 50g milk, 90g low-gluten flour, 80g fine sugar, a few drops of lemon juice

Production steps:

1. First, pour milk and corn oil into a clean container, and stir quickly with an egg beater to allow the corn oil and milk to fully blend together and become emulsified.

2. Sift the low-gluten flour and stir it in a Z shape with an egg whisk. Then separate the eggs, put the egg whites into a clean, water-free and oil-free container, and add the egg yolks to the batter.

3. Use the egg beater to continue to draw a Z shape to mix the egg yolk and batter evenly, and the batter will be smooth and delicate.

4. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the egg whites, add sugar three times and beat until hard foam. It is more stable to beat the egg whites at a low speed throughout the process. Add the first sugar and beat until it is thick. Add the second sugar and continue beating. When the egg beater is lifted, there will be a hook. Add the third sugar and continue beating. Clear lines will appear on the route of the egg beater. Stop and check the status more often to avoid over-beating. When the egg beater is lifted, there will be an upright triangular tip.

5. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees, take one-third of the whipped egg whites and add them to the egg yolk paste. Stir evenly with an egg whisk. Then pour the batter back into the meringue and continue to stir evenly with an egg whisk. Finally, use a scraper to stir evenly in the places where the egg whisk cannot stir.

6. Raise the mixed batter by 20 cm and pour it into the mold. Then use a scraper to smooth the surface. Bake in the oven at 150 degrees for 50 minutes, turn it upside down, and remove it from the mold after it has cooled completely. I put it upside down on the grill. If you don’t like any marks on the surface, you can use a bowl to lift the mold upside down. This way, the surface will be smooth and flat without any indentations.

If you master the above techniques and proportions, I believe that the cake will not crack when you make it again!

Cake making tips

1. The egg beaters used in making cakes must be stirred quickly and evenly to allow the corn oil and milk to fully blend together and become emulsified.

2. When making it, the oven can be set to 160 degrees first, and the temperature can be lowered to around 140 later. This still depends on the environment when making it.

3. If the bottom is concave after making it, it is most likely caused by the oven temperature being too high. You can choose to lower the oven temperature.