7 common sponge cake fails and how to fix them
Whatever occasion you’re baking a sponge cake for, whether it be a birthday party or just a regular Thursday night, we don’t all have the time to scratch things and start again when they go wrong the first time. This is why we’ve created this handy guide to make sure all your future multi-layer sponge endeavours go to plan.
As a professional baker, I can assure you that many factors come into play during the baking process, so try not to take it too hard if you don’t get the picture-perfect results that the recipe promised on your first try.
Without further ado, we present our troubleshooting guide on how to steer clear of the most common sponge cake fails.
- My sponge is dry or rubbery
- My sponge is raw in the middle
- My sponge is burnt
- My sponge is caving in
- My sponge is flavourless
- My sponge is stuck to the pan
- My sponge is cracked on top
1. My sponge is dry or rubbery
Why?
Firstly, is it obviously overcooked? If so, see ‘3. My sponge is burnt’.
If not:
Are you using the wrong ingredient proportions?
If it’s dry, the problem is likely using too much flour and not enough fat (butter, oil, etc.). Generally speaking, sponge cake recipes with a 1:1:1 ratio of flour to sugar to butter are reliable, but checking that there are lots of good reviews is never a bad idea. Bear in mind that just because a recipe doesn’t have a 1:1:1 ratio, that doesn’t mean it won’t also make a lovely cake. For example, carrot cake recipes often use oil instead of butter, meaning the proportions will be different.
If it’s more rubbery, it’s likely a case of overmixing the flour, which causes the gluten to activate too much, making a denser, chewy structure. To get that desired ‘spongy-ness’, you’ll want to properly mix the butter and sugar in together before adding it to the flour. This will prevent overmixing the flour.
Or..
Did you make ingredient substitutions?
Baking is a science; after all, every ingredient has been tried and tested so switching something out can throw a spanner in the works. For example, if a recipe states you should use oil but you use butter, you’ll end up with a less moist cake because oil has more fat than butter. Substituting the flour and sugar for those different from the recipe can also have an effect on texture.
How to fix it..
If it’s only slightly dry, frosting should be able to make up for the sponge, but if you need something a little more effective, then try brushing it with a simple syrup glaze or milk (like a tres leches cake). Bear in mind that keeping your cakes in the fridge may also help the sponge absorb some moisture; however, this works much better with cupcakes than layer cakes, which don’t have as high a surface area to volume ratio. If all else fails, you can always crumble up your cake and turn it into cake pops or eat with ice cream.
2. My sponge is raw in the middle
Why?
Is it just undercooked?
An obvious consideration is whether the cake is undercooked. Assuming you’ve cooked it for the amount of time the recipe suggests (and used the same size pan!), and the skewer is still coming out with cake batter on, it may be worth investing in an oven thermometer to check your oven is hot enough. Also, remember that it’s normal for your cake to stiffen up a bit when you let it rest on the drying rack.
Is your recipe too wet?
Just as a flour-heavy recipe causes a dry cake, not enough flour can cause a wet cake that refuses to cook. Remember that flour, sugar and baking powder are the dry ingredients, and oil, butter and eggs are the wet ingredients. Generally, you can tell by eye whether your sponge cake batter has the wrong texture before it’s even cooked, so make sure you use a reliable recipe (see advice under 1. My sponge is dry)
How to fix it..
As long as your cake hasn’t been out of the oven too long, you can just pop it back in until it reaches golden brown. If you’re worried about the outside crisping up in the time it takes for the inside to cook properly, just cover the top of the tin with foil.
3. My sponge is overcooked or burnt
Why?
First port of call: did you bake it for too long or is your oven temperature too high? All ovens are different, so it’s never a bad idea to have an oven thermometer to check how quickly yours heats up. Also, bear in mind that if you’re using a fan oven, you will need to prehreat the oven to about 15-20 degrees Celcius lower than a conventional oven.
Condider your equipment:
Did you use a different pan? For example, using a 10-inch baking tray for a recipe that calls for an 8-inch tray will cause the batter to spread out more and bake quicker. Just be sure to check your recipe at least 5-10 minutes earlier, depending on the cooking time. Another consideration is colour; believe it or not, using a black baking tray will cause a cake to bake quicker than the standard aluminium ones. We’re not saying to buy a new pan, but just be sure to check if the cake is done a few minutes before the suggested cooking time.
If it’s just the sides of the cake that are burnt, it’s likely that too much butter was used to grease the sides of the pan.
How to fix it..
Thankfully, most overcooked sponges can be salvaged by simply cutting off the burnt parts and covering the cake with frosting. A good trick is to use a stick cheese grater or lemon zester to gently shave the top layer of the cake off. The only problem is that it may still taste slightly dried out. As mentioned in problem 1, this can be salvaged by a simple syrup or by making it into cake pops.
4. My sponge is caving in
Why?
Did it happen in the oven?
This is likely a result of opening the oven door too early, this causes a rush of cold air to enter the oven and the temperature to drop drastically. This makes the cake stop rising prematurely, before the base structure is strong enough to support the weight of the cake.
Or..
You could’ve used too much raising agent
This causes the cake to rise and create air pockets faster than the rest of the ingredient structure can support.
Or..
The batter wasn’t mixed enough (or it was overmixed), meaning that not enough gluten formed to support the structure of the cake, causing it to collapse.
Or..
Your cake tin is too small. There’s no penalty for filling your cake tin less than necessary, but filling it too much can lead to a precarious structure and cause your cake to cave in on itself.
Did it happen after you took it out?
There’s a fine balance between removing the cake from the pan too soon and leaving it too long. If you leave it too long, the heat won’t be able to effectively leave the cake, causing pressure to surmount and push the cake in on itself. On the other hand, if you remove the cake too soon, the cake won’t have firmed up properly and is more likely to crumble when you move it. Generally speaking, removing the tin after it’s safe to touch is a safe bet.
How to fix it..
If it’s a shallow dip, you may be able to mask the damage with frosting or by using it as a bottom layer. If it’s more of a deep valley, then either enjoy the taste with your eyes closed or turn them into cake pops or truffles.
5. My sponge is flavourless
Why?
Lack of or improper ingredients.
How to fix it..
This really depends on what type of cake you are baking.
For a vanilla cake..
Simply add more vanilla extract or upgrade to vanilla bean paste if you’re not getting that kick. Be sure to put vanilla in both the cake and the icing, even if you’re doing chocolate or another flavour of icing.
For a chocolate cake..
Use REAL chocolate instead of cocoa powder to get that rich flavour. If you’re still craving more flavour, add a pinch of coffee powder to enrich and deepen the chocolate flavour.
For all cakes..
Think beyond frosting with just a simple buttercream icing, why not try a ganache or coulis? Alternatively, experiment with different ingredients; try using brown sugar instead of white or almond milk instead of regular milk.
6. My cake is stuck to the pan
Why?
The pan wasn’t properly prepared
Again, this is dependent on the type of cake, as some sponges, such as angel food cake and chiffon cake (or any cake containing egg white foam), rise much better when they can stick to the walls of an ungreased pan. In this case, you may be better off using a corrugated cake tin.
For any other cake, ensure the tin is properly clean and dry, then rub a light layer across the entirety of the pan, then dust with flour. Alternatively, trace the cake tin onto baking paper and transfer it into the tin.
How to fix it..
A few tricks of the trade to get a stuck cake out:
- Wet a dishcloth in warm water and wrap it around the bottom of the pan for 15 minutes
- Put it on ice for a few minutes
- Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to cut it out
- Flip the cake onto a plate and tap the tin with a spatula (or just wait for gravity to do it’s job!)
- Buy a buckle-up cake tin for next time
7. My sponge is cracked on top
Why?
In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big problem, and it won’t affect the taste of your cake but it can be annoying if you’re turning it into a layer cake.
Is your oven too hot?
..the most common cause of cake cracking. It could be useful to invest in an over thermometer to check that your oven isn’t getting too hot or to place your cake on a lower shelf.
Have you used the wrong sized pan?
A common culprit for baking mishaps, a pan smaller than the recipe suggests means the cake has nowhere to dome but up, causing the cake to crack.
How to fix it..
Either cut off the tip of the cake or mask it in icing.