Cakes
Sunken centre
5 likely causes, sorted by where the problem lives. Work down the list and change one variable at a time.
Likely causes
- formulaToo much leavening: it rises faster than the structure can set, then falls.
- techniqueUnderbaked, so the centre never set.
- techniqueOven door opened before the structure had set.
- formulaToo much sugar or fat for the structure to carry.
- techniqueOver-mixed.
What to change
- Reduce the leavening. This is the most common single cause.
- Bake until genuinely set: springs back when pressed, tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Leave the door shut through the first two thirds of the bake.
- Rebalance so sugar and liquid do not exceed what the flour and egg can carry.
Read it with the four domains in mind
FormulaThe recipe itself: ratios, quantities, and ingredient choice.
TechniqueWhat you did: mixing, shaping, timing, handling.
EnvironmentThe room: temperature, humidity, altitude, storage.
EquipmentThe gear: oven calibration, pans, mixer, tools.
Adapted from the master symptom matrices in Environmental Variables & Troubleshooting. General sourcing across these tables: Figoni (2011); Gisslen (2016); Corriher (2008); McGee (2004); Modernist Bread (2017); King Arthur Baking technical guides; BAKERpedia.
Other cakes symptoms
Domed or cracked top
Dry crumb
Dense and heavy
Tunnels: vertical holes through the crumb
Coarse, open crumb
Overflowed the pan
Stuck to the pan
Soapy, bitter, or metallic taste
Sour taste
Cakes & Sponges · Pan Size Calculator · The full troubleshooting method · All 50 symptoms