Today, I ruined my cake!

Sometimes, we can bake amazing chocolate cakes like this devil’s food cake. And then other times….well. Things don’t go as planned. Today was one of those days. First, I decided to make a chocolate cake from the back of the cocoa mix instead of sticking with something I’m used to baking. I’ve found things often go wrong when I try new things because I tend to get distracted and don’t always pay attention to the recipe like I should. As bakers, we can fall into this trap as we become seasoned at making cakes, cookies and breads. We think we don’t need to pay close attention and skim over recipes at times.

Second, and likely my biggest mistake, was the fact I decided to put the cake in right after I finished baking bread at 400F (200C) and instead of adjusting the temperature and letting it cool down first, I decided to just pop the pan in right away. If I had used a second oven thermometer, perhaps it would have been a reminder to wait. To add to that, I neglected to adjust the oven rack so the convection was blowing straight across the top of the cake as it baked. Basically, I broiled the top middle portion of my cake batter. Oops!

It happened within minutes of popping the cake batter into the oven and I couldn’t fix it at that point. I thought about pulling it out and skimming off the top. That would have likely fixed my issue. Instead, I decided to finish baking it as an experiment. Would the funny appearance affect the taste of the cake? The result was a wrinkled top on my cake that still tasted great other than that very top crusted layer. That texture was quite odd. Cutting it away and covering the cake with a glaze or frosting will fix the blemishes. But why do cakes wrinkle in the first place?

Wrinkled Cakes Happen Due to a Variety of Reasons

When the crust of a cake wrinkles, a lot of factors come into play. The temperature of the oven could have been too hot, the cake recipe could have been poorly written, and even ingredients can come into play. Let’s explore the most common reasons and ways to prevent wrinkly cakes in the future.

Too Much Moisture in the Recipe

Too much liquid within the cake batter can create a lot of steam. If the crust is already set, it cannot escape, so a thin layer of air is trapped between the crust and the rest of the cake, creating little air pockets. When the cake cools, the wrinkling occurs because the crust has settled. Double check your measurements and try again. Perhaps this is what happened to me? If it happens again, it’s the recipe and not you. You can combat this by lowering the temperature 25F (10C) and baking 5 – 10 minutes longer to delay crust formation.

Baked at Too High of a Temperature

When you put a cake in too hot of an oven, parts will bake too quickly. Sometimes it will be the sides, sometimes just the top or sections of the cake, other times the center. The more wet the batter, the more volatile the results. If you have a thin cake batter like this cake recipe was, they should really be baked at lower temperatures for longer. This will allow some of the excess moisture to escape from the batter before the crust forms an impenetrable barrier. But because a lot of people want to create recipes that are done fast, they will push that dial up to 350F (180C) instead of a lower moderate oven of 325F (160F) or even lower and extend that baking time. When it comes to moist cakes, low and slow is best.

Using Ingredients with Differing Temperatures

You are preparing your cake batter and the recipe asks for three large eggs. You reach in the fridge, crack them open and pop them in your creamed butter and sugar. Wait! Did you let them sit out on the counter for a bit? If not, adding cold eggs can cause all kinds of havoc. They will often rapidly chill the butter and sugar and you end up splitting or separating your batter. At best, you have bits of butter in your cake and it dries out too fast. At worst, the entire cake tastes terrible and looks a mess. Adding very cold ingredients to room temperature ones can lead to instability. This can cause the cake to rise too much and then collapse quickly as the crust is forming. Often, a wrinkled or cracked top forms either in the end stages of baking or as it cools.

Using a Dark Cake Pan

A lot of the non-stick cake pans are a darker material than the shiny aluminum pans often used to create recipes. If you are using a dark cake pan, this can cause the cake to set prematurely. Which leads to again, the trapped moisture. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out and buy new bakeware. Simply, lower your temperature 25F (10C) and bake the cake 5 – 10 minutes longer instead.

Over-mixed Cake Batter

When you whip too much air into a cake, you can make it unstable and more likely to collapse when it’s baking, cooling or both. If the recipe says to hand whisk the batter for thirty seconds and you pull out your stand mixer and beat it for 5 minutes on high speed, expect poor results. How do you combat this one? Read the instructions before beginning and then follow them. The creator of the recipe has a reason for their methodology.

Poor Positioning in the Oven

All baked goods have a preferred placement within the oven for optimal results. When you get a new oven, reading the manual carefully will often give rack positions for cakes, cookies, casseroles, and more common baked goods. For instance, if you have a convection fan blowing directly on top of the batter or the pan is placed at the very top position in the oven, it will cause the top layer to set and crust over faster than it should. You can combat this by placing the oven rack in the center of the oven or following the guidance outlined in your oven’s manual and reading the recipe for any special instructions.

Opening the Oven Door Too Early

The immediate change in temperature can cause cakes to deflate before the crust is able to fully set. Try to never open a cake until it’s at least 65-70% baked. So for a 45 minute baking time, don’t even think about cracking that door until a good 30 minutes has past. And for good measure, wait another 5 minutes on top of that. Why ruin your cake? Opening the door to early also leads to sunken cakes. Trust me, I know this one first hand.

Wrong Size or Type of Bakeware

Perhaps the recipe calls for an 8 inch (20cm) round cake pan and all you have is a 9 inch (23cm) square pan. This shouldn’t be a problem, should it? Well, it depends. It could work out okay if you adjust the time and temperature accordingly. But if you go full blast, be prepared for either the cake to have wrinkles or dry out or even both.

Likewise, using the wrong type of bakeware can cause unexpected results. This often happens with using glass and ceramic bakeware as opposed to aluminum or stainless steel. You will often get one part of the cake baking unevenly or another part is moving along too fast while the other part of the cake is slowly warming up. Pay attention to the recipe. Does it suggest using a particular type of pan or is there a type of bakeware pictured in the recipe or accompanying text? If so, try to use a similar style. If you cannot do so, again don’t rush out and buy new pans. You can always do this simple step I keep repeating: lower your temperature 25F (10C) and bake it longer.

Letting the Batter Set too Long Prior to Baking

Okay, now this happens with cakes relying on baking soda added to an acid like buttermilk or cocoa powder. Baking powder is dual acting in that it starts acting immediately but also has a reaction when it is exposed to heat. In contrast, baking soda and an acid like buttermilk is fast reacting and then fizzles out. So you need to get the batter heated as quickly as possible to maintain structure. Think of baking soda cake batters much like those volcano sculptures we made in grade school where we added baking soda to vinegar. You get this quick bubbling up and lots of oohs and ahhs as the “lava” pours out of your creation. But then…it falls flat and the fun is over.

So anytime you see a cake batter made only with baking soda, get to moving after adding that acidic ingredient. Don’t wait until after mixing it to prepare your cake tin, then preheat your oven and take a coffee break before getting it in the oven to bake. Put that batter in straight away to your well prepared pan and get it right away in that well-heated oven. Or else? You guessed it. Wrinkled cake at best, a batter that never rises and a ruined cake at worst.

Cake was Under-Baked

This happens to the best of us, especially since all recipes give you a time range to bake a cake. Baking anywhere from 45-60 minutes can create a lot of different results. The toothpick method can help only so much. You can have either a slightly under-baked or even an over-baked cake relying on that method alone. I like to look for a slight separation from the sides of the pan, the middle of the cake to have a bit of a spring to it when lightly touched and you don’t hear it sizzling away. But I’ve found letting the center should reach between 200F (93C) and 210F (99C) usually straightens out a whole host of cake issues.

You Measured Incorrectly, Substituted or Added Extras

Finally, this can be a sticky subject. You messed up. There, I said it. Perhaps you’ a lot like me? At times, forgetful. Other times, a bit haughty. Sometimes, feeling creative. Oftentimes, swapping and adding just because you want to see what happens or realize you are out of a key ingredient. When you stray from the original recipe, no matter how great of a baker you are, you won’t have the same results as the original recipe. Sometimes, you’ll have better results. Other times? Well…I flopped today!

This usually happens out of impatience and I’ve found patience is the key to success in the kitchen. Somedays, I have zero patience and those are the days I should stay away from the oven. Obviously, advice I don’t always heed. This time, I got lucky. I cut off the wrinkly top and covered the wonky cake with a thick chocolate glaze. The receiver of the cake never knew of my faux pas and I was told it was absolutely delicious. Sometimes it all works out in the end.

What is the point of posting this story? If you have the unexpected happen regardless of the reason, don’t worry. It may still be edible, even delicious. And if it’s downright terrible? Chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. We all fail at times in the kitchen. It’s okay. That’s how we grow as bakers. Happy baking, folks!