Help! Why did my cake fall flat?

In every episode of our new podcast Things Bakers Know, we answer baking questions from our listeners. In our recent episode all about birthday cake, one caller asked a very important question: Why did my cake fall flat as a pancake when I took it out of the oven? Below is an edited excerpt from hosts David Tamarkin and Jessica Battilana. You can find the full episode here.

David: You know, this caller said she checked to make sure her baking powder was active, and that was a smart thing to do because the first culprit is the leavening. The fact that her baking powder is still alive makes me think that perhaps there's too much of it in this recipe, or maybe she's putting it in a little too generously, and I would recommend pulling back on that. Because what happens when you have too much leavening in the cake is that you can get that kick for the cake to rise too high, and then it leads to a great fall. So that would be my first course of action is to pull back on the baking powder and see if that makes a difference.

Jessica: She says that it was rising beautifully in the oven, and it's also possible that she took it out of the oven a little too soon, before the cake structure has set up entirely, and so the cake's just a little bit under baked. Maybe you've done the toothpick test, which I sometimes think is not as reliable as you want it to be, but what I look for with doneness is a cake that’s sort of pulling away from the sides of the pan. And then I'll press gently on the center of the layer, and it should spring back a little bit. I wait for those signs of doneness before I pull it out, because if you pull the cake out before it's really truly set, it'll look great at first, but then as it cools it just collapses. It's happened to me and it's such a bummer.

David: It's such a bummer. The pat test, the gentle press in the middle, is so key, and I understand why you don't always trust the toothpick test, too. I just want to tell bakers, if you have not gotten used to the feel of a well-baked cake in the oven, get used to it, because it's so helpful.

Learn more here: How to tell when cake is done. 

We’re answering more essential cake questions over on the podcast, from demystifying the reverse-creaming method to breaking down what cake flour really is. Listen to the full episode for the answers! 

Cover photo by Rick Holbrook.