Glen Dimplex Home Appliances Ltd 100 E manual General Baking Guide, Trouble-shooting Fruit Cakes

General Baking Guide

Trouble-shooting - Fruit Cakes

PROBLEM	POSSIBLE CAUSE
Fruit sinking to the bottom	Low oven temperature which may cause the cake to
	take longer to set, allowing the fruit to sink. Or, too
	much liquid, or raising agent. The fruit may not have
	been properly washed and dried.
Cake sinking / dipping in the centre	Too much raising agent in the mixture. Too hot, or too
	cool an oven. Or, not enough liquid or insufficient
	creaming.
Surface cracks	Too small a tin, or too much mixture in the tin. Too
	much raising agent in the mix, plus not enough liquid
	or insufficient creaming. The oven may be too hot.
Hard outer crust with a damp patch inside	Oven too hot, therefore the cake baked too quickly.
	Too much sugar, or insufficient liquid.
Burnt outside	Oven temperature too high. Oven too small for the
	size of cake. Insufficient protection around the tin.
	Cake baked on too high a shelf.
Texture with pronounced holes.	Too much raising agent. Flour unevenly mixed.
Texture too close and cake insufficiently risen.	Not enough raising agent. Not enough liquid. Too
	cool an oven. Insufficient creaming.
Cake crumbles when cut	Not enough liquid. Baked for too long. Not enough
	sugar. Too much baking agent.
Too dry	Over baking. Insufficient egg or liquid. Too much rais-
	ing agent.
Trouble-shooting	- Sponge Cakes
Domed top	Insufficient creaming of mixture. Cake baked on too
	high a shelf position, or at too high a temperature.
	Paper liners can cause the outer edge not to rise and
	the centre to peak.
Hollowed / sunken top	Too much raising agent. Oven temperature too low, or
	incorrect shelf position. Cake removed from oven
	before it’s cooked. Use of soft tub margarine.
Very pale, but cooked	Oven temperature too low. Baked too low in the oven
Overflowing tin	Tin too small for the amount of mixture

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