When the cake rises to a point and collapses or when the cake crust cracks:
- The mixture was beaten too much.
- The batter was too stiff
- Ensure thorough mixing of ingredients by mixing to the bottom of the bowl
- The oven temperature was too high
- The cake tin was too deep
- Ingredients should be at room temperature, such as milk and eggs.
- To ensure an evenly risen cake the batter must be carefully spread to the sides of the tin
- The batter was too thin – too much liquid
- The proportions of sugar, fat, raising agent or liquid were too high.
- The oven temperature was too low or the oven door was opened too soon
- The cake could have been removed before it was cooked
When the top of the cake has a speckled crust:
- The sugar was too coarse and did not dissolve properly – the use of white sugar in place of castor sugar
- The mixture could have been overbeaten, causing the air bubbles to dry out on the surface.
Good luck with your flop-less baking!