Do you know why the cake collapses and shrinks?

Cake is a kind of food that is deeply loved by people in daily life. Many people have also tried to make cakes, but collapse and shrinkage are the most common problems in the production process, which makes people very distressed. They don’t know which process has gone wrong. In fact, the process of making cakes is very simple, but it has strict requirements on raw materials and processes, including high-quality raw materials and the temperature and time of the oven need to be strictly controlled. If collapse and shrinkage occur, there are probably ten reasons: too much oil or water in the recipe, gluten in the batter, defoaming of the egg white, the egg yolk batter is not evenly stirred, the mold wall is sticky, baking is stopped before it is fully baked, the temperature drops too quickly during baking, the baking time is too long, and the batter is not turned upside down in time after it is out of the oven.

Reason 1

There is too much oil and water in the recipe, and not enough baking powder. It will collapse under its own weight, just like not turning the cake upside down in time.

Solution: Adjust the recipe.

Reason 2

The batter becomes glutenous and shrinks after cooling.

Solution: Use low-gluten flour, or 80% medium-gluten flour + 20% corn starch.

Note during operation: Do not stir the batter too much before adding the egg yolk, just use an egg whisk to turn it 6 to 7 times, it doesn't matter if it is uneven, stir it for a while after adding the egg yolk until it becomes a uniform and thin batter. When mixing the egg yolk paste and the egg white paste, be sure to stir gently, stirring up and down, rather than stirring in circles.

Reason 3

Defoaming of egg whites: If the egg whites are not whipped enough, or the whipping is interrupted and then stopped for a while before beating again, or the eggs are beaten for too long, or sugar is added at the wrong time... it is not easy to achieve dry foaming. In this way, the egg white foam is unstable and easily defoamed, the pores are reduced, the volume of the cake batter is reduced, and the cooked cake will shrink after cooling. The defrothed egg liquid tends to settle easily and turns into a pudding layer during baking, which is also a possible reason for the shrinkage of the cake.

Solution:

a. The egg beater and egg bowl should be clean and free of water and oil. It is best to use a copper or stainless steel egg beater;

b. The eggs must be fresh but refrigerated, and the egg white and yolk must be separated cleanly without leaving any yolk in the egg white;

c. Adding sugar, white vinegar (tartare powder) and corn starch can help to whip and stabilize the foam;

d . Start beating at low speed - after rough bubbles, start adding 1/3 of sugar and white vinegar (cream of tartare) and corn starch, and beat at medium speed. Add the second and third times of sugar in the middle, and so on. Beat continuously without stopping for too long in the middle, and beat until dry bubbles form.

Pay attention during operation: The degree of dry foaming is tested here: At this time, the egg beater bowl is tilted, the foam does not flow, and it cannot be turned upside down. When the egg beater head is lifted, short straight sharp corners can be seen, and upright sharp corners can also be seen in the bowl. At this time, there is a small amount of cotton-like foam tissue on the edge of the basin, which is allowed.

Another way to check whether the egg white bubbles have deflated: When mixing with the egg yolk paste in 3 batches, finally check the 3rd 1/3 of the egg white bubbles that will be mixed with the egg yolk paste. Can it slide when the bowl is tilted? It should still not slide, otherwise it means that the egg white foam is still deflated and is not whipped hard enough, and the cake will shrink more or less later. It should not flow, otherwise it means that your egg whites have not been beaten enough and you need to beat them harder next time. But the egg whites should not be beaten too hard, otherwise the taste will be bad and it will be difficult to stir.

Reason 4

The egg yolk paste is not stirred evenly, the oil is not fully emulsified, or the egg yolk paste and egg white paste are not mixed evenly, and the egg white paste mentioned above is defoamed. These situations will cause the larger ingredients to sink, forming a pudding layer after baking, and the cake will not be fluffy.

Solution: Master the stirring technique, be gentle and fast, but make sure to mix thoroughly.

Reason 5

The mold wall used is anti-stick, or oiled, or the inner wall of the mold is not cleaned. The oil layer will cause insufficient adhesion. The cake batter will not be able to climb and grow during baking, and the cake will never grow.

Solution: Avoid anti-sticking molds and ensure that the inner wall of the mold is oil-free.

Reason 6

If the primer is too big, it will easily cause the bottom to shrink. When you take it out after turning it upside down, you will find that the bottom is concave, forming an inverted crater-shaped hole.

Solution: lower the bottom heat, or place the baking pan on a higher grid in the oven, or place the baking pan on a baking tray, or lower the top and bottom heat at the same time.

Reason 7

Stopping baking before it is fully baked and under-baking is also a common cause of cake shrinkage.

Solution: Bake thoroughly if you are worried about the surface being burnt. You can lower the baking temperature, extend the baking time, or cover the top with tin foil (but don't seal it to avoid suffocation). A common way to check is to insert a toothpick to see if any cake has come out. Experienced people can pat the surface of the cake with their hands. If there is no obvious rustling sound, it bounces back well and no fingerprints are left, it is fine.

Reason 8

The temperature drops too quickly during the baking process, including too much temperature drop in a short period of time, opening the oven door for too long and too many times. Sometimes, covering the top with a thick cold DD - a baking tray or too large and thick tin foil - can also have an impact.

Solution: Avoid sudden temperature drops in the furnace. Pay special attention during the growth stage of the cake: avoid opening the oven door and adjust the temperature carefully. If you see that the cake stops growing and shrinks in the first half, you need to heat it appropriately.

Reason Nine

If you bake it for too long, it will lose too much water and shrink.

Solution: Shorten the baking time or lower the baking temperature.

Reason 10

The cake was not turned upside down immediately after being taken out of the oven. Because the chiffon cake contains a lot of oil and water, the pores in the lower part are easily flattened during the cooling and shaping process, and the lower half becomes tight and solid, the volume of the cake shrinks, and the surface shrinks.

Solution: Turn the cake upside down immediately after it comes out of the oven and let it cool.