Ask Nancy
I’ve recently baked the Chocolate Valentine Cake from your website and for some reason it falls in the middle after it starts to cool, any reason as to why? And what is the consistency? It states it will be an "airy" texture but I seem to find that it seems really mushy and almost raw like?....Help!
Jeannette - from Colorado Springs, CO
If the texture of this cake is mushy, it appears that the cake was under baked. Ovens vary so I would recommend using an oven thermometer to check the temperature accuracy of your ovens to ensure cakes are being baked at the proper temperature listed on the recipe. There are several other reasons why a cake might sink in the middle. These include: overbeating, which causes too much air to incorporate into the batter; incorrectly measuring the liquid; or creaming the butter and sugar too much or too little.
For the Chocolate Valentine Cake the cake pan should be placed in a water bath and baked 45-53 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Pan should then be placed on a cooling rack, letting cake cool for 25 minutes before removing.