My birthday cake collapsed when I opened the oven door too fast

I was baking a three-layer chocolate cake for my nephew's party in my tiny apartment kitchen in Portland, and when I cracked the oven open to check on it, the whole middle layer just sank in like a deflated balloon and I had to scrap the whole thing and run to Safeway for a sheet cake an hour before everyone showed up.

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_jones993d ago

Ah man, "deflated balloon" is exactly right, that's happened to me before too. Quick tip for next time - make sure your cake batter is at room temp before it goes in, and don't open the door for at least 20 minutes after you put it in.

the_oscar3d ago

Nah, I gotta push back on that "don't open the door" rule. If your cake is deflating because you cracked the oven, you had bigger problems with your temp or your recipe. Sometimes you gotta check and rotate the pan halfway through, or the edges burn while the middle stays raw. Opening the door a couple times isn't gonna wreck a properly mixed cake, it's a myth that just stresses people out.

jordan9031d ago

Yeah @victor_jones99 nailed it, that temp shock is brutal, I've watched cakes crater the same way myself.