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Bakers and baking enthusiasts often ask questions such as: Why do my baked breads collapse? Why are my homemade breads so small? Why is the bread crust so thick? This article compiles some solutions to these problems. Let's take a look!
I. Why is the cake's volume small?
1. Reasons:
(1) Insufficient egg-beating time, batter is too heavy, and there is too little air in the batter.
(2) If producing low-grade sponge cake, the recipe may not use a leavening agent or the amount of leavening agent is too low.
(3) If producing low-grade sponge cake, the amount of oil in the recipe is too high. Even for high-grade sponge cakes, too much oil is not good.
(4) In the final stage of batter preparation, adding oil and stirring too fast or for too long results in excessive loss of air in the batter.
(5) Too much water in the recipe reduces the batter's viscosity, weakens the structure, causes air loss, and reduces air retention.
(6) If producing high-grade sponge cake without a leavening agent and the flour has excessive gluten strength, the cake will not rise easily during baking.
(7) If no cake oil is used and the batter is left to stand for too long after whipping, without immediately pouring into the mold and baking, it will cause the batter to lose air and deflate.
(8) Using stale eggs.
(9) Insufficient batter in the pan or mold.
(10) Too little water added when preparing the batter, resulting in excessive batter viscosity, poor rheological properties and fluidity, and a dry batter that does not expand easily during baking.
(11) The temperature is too low when whipping the eggs, making it difficult for the egg whites to whip up and resulting in a batter that is too heavy.
(12) Over-whipping, resulting in too much air in the batter, reducing the stability and air retention of the batter. Prolonged batter preparation time leads to air loss.
(13) The oven temperature is too high at the beginning of baking, with excessive top heat, causing the cake to set too early, resulting in a "capped" appearance and hindering expansion.
2. Improvement Measures
(1) Strictly control the egg-beating time; both over-whipping and under-whipping affect cake expansion.
(2) When the amount of eggs in the sponge cake recipe is less than 140%, a leavening agent should be used.
(3) Oil should never be used in low-grade sponge cakes, and the amount of oil in high-grade sponge cakes should not exceed 50%.
(4) After whipping the eggs, when adding flour and oil, do not use high-speed whipping, nor whip for too long. Gently mix carefully.
(5) The total water content in sponge cake should not exceed 50% to prevent a decrease in batter viscosity.
(6) The protein content of the flour used should be between 7% and 9%. Flour with too high or too low protein content, or excessively chlorine-bleached flour, should not be used.
(7) The batter should be poured into the mold or pan immediately after mixing and baked; do not leave it at room temperature for too long. (8) Fresh eggs must be used.
(9) The amount of batter in the pan should be two-thirds full; too much or too little is not suitable.
(10) Pay attention to the consistency of the batter after mixing.
(11) Except for French sponge cakes, for all sponge cakes, when mixing eggs and sugar in the first step, the eggs must be warmed to 42 ℃ before mixing, especially in winter.
(12) Sponge cakes should use high heat, but not excessively high.
II. Why is the sponge cake crust too thick?
1. Reasons
(1) Excessive top heat during baking causes the cake to set too early, resulting in a thick crust.
(2) The oven temperature is too low at the beginning, and the baking time is too long, causing excessive evaporation of water from the cake and resulting in a thick crust.
(3) Too much sugar in the recipe causes a strong browning reaction during baking, resulting in a thick crust.
(4) The oven temperature is too low throughout the baking process, and the baking time is too long, similar to (2).
(5) The baking pan or mold has walls that are too high or too deep, resulting in excessive surface temperature, increased heat absorption, early setting, rapid browning, and a thick crust.
(6) Too much yolk.
2. Improvement Measures
(1) Except for a few varieties, most sponge cakes use high bottom heat and low top heat.
(2) Baking procedures should be strictly followed, and the oven temperature and baking time should be determined according to the different varieties; baking time should not be too long.
(3) Check if the recipe is balanced.
(4) Check if the baking pan walls meet the standard.
(5) Check if the yolk amount is excessive; it should be about one-third of the whole egg amount.
III. Why does the cake shrink and deform during baking?
1. Reasons:
(1) Uneven oven temperature may cause the cake to shrink and deform due to vibration and air loss before setting, if the pans are moved or rotated during baking.
(2) Too much sugar in the recipe results in a batter that is too heavy, too viscous, and hinders the formation of the protein film, expansion, and aeration.
(3) Using old eggs reduces viscosity and stability, making it difficult to aerate.
(4) Too little flour in the recipe leads to a weak batter structure, poor gas retention, and thermal expansion and contraction.
(5) Using flour that has been excessively bleached with chlorine significantly reduces gluten strength, resulting in a weak batter structure, poor gas retention, and thermal expansion and contraction.
(6) If the oven temperature is too low at the beginning of baking, excess moisture inside the cake cannot evaporate; if the oven temperature is too high in the middle of baking, the top will burn before the inside is cooked, leaving excess moisture inside the cake, which shrinks upon cooling.
(7) Using too much leavening agent causes excessive expansion, damaging the cake's structure, reducing gas retention, and causing shrinkage upon cooling.
(8) Overmixing the egg whites and batter introduces too much air, making the batter too light, damaging the cake's structure, reducing gas retention, and causing shrinkage upon cooling.
2. Improvement Measures
(1) Avoid moving the cake during baking to prevent collapse from vibrations.
(2) Check if the amount of sugar in the recipe exceeds the amount of eggs.
(3) Use fresh eggs.
(4) Check if the recipe and total water amount are balanced.
(5) Do not use flour that has been excessively bleached with chlorine.
(6) Sponge cakes should be baked at 177-205℃, adjusting the baking process according to different types.
(7) Except for low-grade sponge cakes, it is best not to use leavening agents.
(8) Do not overmix when whisking eggs.
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