There’s nothing more frustrating than spending time, energy, and money on a recipe only to have it not turn out correctly. This is especially demoralizing when you bake a layer cake or a loaf and it sinks in the center!
Other times it looks like a crater and is uncooked in the center and you have to throw it away.
Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be! These are questions we see from HTH bakers all the time:
This article will give you a quick list of how to prevent cakes and loaves from sinking, like in the pictures of sunken loaves from readers Kati and Mari above.
Do not open the oven door to take a peek. This lets the heat out & cold air in. You are more likely to suffer a sinking problem if you open the oven door in the middle of the baking process. If you do not store your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight containers, it can lead to problems.
What To Do If Your Quick Bread Loaf Sunk
Unfortunately, there are a few less options to fix an already sunken loaf of quick bread and still maintain a beautiful-looking result. A few ideas on how to rescue a collapsed loaf are below.
If your loaf is just slightly sunken in the center instead of domed, you can opt to distract with a glaze or frosting.
How to Prevent Cakes and Loaves from Sinking
Be sure to bake for long enough! Instead of only relying on the baking time listed by the recipe, follow the sensory indicators written first and foremost. How long a loaf of banana bread or a yellow cake layer takes to bake in my kitchen, with my ingredients, in my oven, at my elevation, in my climate will likely be different than yours!
How to FIX a Sunken Loaf of Bread!!
FAQ
Why does the middle of my banana bread sink?
How do you keep bread from sinking in the middle?
Why is my banana bread still gooey in the middle?