Baking a cake can be challenging. Measuring precise ingredients and following the recipe instructions are paramount to making a successful dish. One of the most common problems I’ve seen when dealing with cakes is the cake not cooking in the middle.
If your cake is undercooked in the middle, the cause may be one of these seven things:
- You Haven’t Baked It for an Appropriate Amount of Time
- The Temperature Isn’t Correct
- Uneven Heating
- Not Using the Right Pan for Baking
- Problem with the Baking Powder
- Issues with the Ingredients
- Too Much Batter
In this article, I will take you through the different reasons causing your cake to be undercooked in the middle.
7 Reasons Why Your Cake Is Undercooked in the Middle?
It can be frustrating when you notice your cake is not baked properly in the middle when you cut it. One of these reasons below will surely be the culprit.
1. You Haven’t Baked It for an Appropriate Amount of Time
When following a recipe for baking a cake, it’s important to keep in mind that the baking time provided may not be accurate for your specific oven. The author, chef, or cook most likely is using a different oven with different settings and specifications. It’s a good idea to use your own judgement and check the cake’s with a toothpick to determine if the cake is cooked in the middle. If the toothpick comes out with batter or liquid on it, the cake needs more time to bake.
Make sure to keep an eye on the cake while it’s in the oven to prevent it from burning, and cover the top with aluminum foil if it starts to brown too quickly. Remember, the baking time may vary based on the oven and the batter being used.
2. The Temperature Isn’t Correct
There are two types of ovens available – convection and conventional ovens. These two ovens run differently in terms of temperature settings. Convection ovens work at a lower temperature compared to conventional ovens. Conventional ovens run at a higher temperature and bake faster.
You must know how your oven works and determine the right temperature to bake your cake. Doing this is essential as too hot or too low oven temperature can burn your cake or take too long to bake.
If you are following a recipe, see if you can determine what type of oven they are using to make it easier for you to figure out what temperature you should set your oven.
Quick Tip: If you’re unsure of the type of oven you have, simply check if there is a fan on the inside wall of the oven or not. If you see the fan, it’s a convection oven.
3. Uneven Heating
Uneven heating of the oven is a common problem that home bakers face. Uneven heating means the oven is not producing heat evenly. Home ovens can have hot and cold spots, which causes issues while baking a cake.
If your oven heats unevenly, consider rotating your cake every few minutes. You could also place the cake right in the center. This will help the cake bake properly without leaving out the middle area.
4. Not Using the Right Pan for Baking
Many people gloss over selecting a baking pan but using the right pan while baking is essential. It is important to use high-quality pans for better baking results. For example, if you use an aluminum pan for baking, you may notice the sides baking faster than the middle.
If you are following a recipe, it is important to consider the pan size mentioned. This is because the ingredients and the portions are written in accordance with the pan size. A pan that is too small or a too-big pan can lead to an undercooked middle.
5. Problem with the Baking Powder
Baking powder is one of the essential ingredients while making a cake’s batter. Remember to look for the expiration date of the baking powder before using it. Old baking powder can cause problems while baking a cake.
It is also important to add the right amount of baking powder. Adding a lot or too little baking powder can cause your cake to be undercooked in the center.
6. Issues with the Ingredients
The right ingredients with accurate measurements are essential for a perfect cake mix. Once you add all the elements with the correct measurements, mix the cake batter properly so all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
Mixing the batter or ingredients is also a vital step. Going wrong over here can cause your cake center to be undercooked.
7. Too Much Batter
If you pour too much batter into the pan or tin, it will be difficult for the cake to bake properly. Do not overload your pan with a thick or overflowing batter, as the sides of the cake will bake quickly, but the middle of the cake will be raw. If you leave the cake to bake in the middle, the exterior of the cake might burn.
Final Words
When you are baking a cake, it is important to follow the steps thoroughly right from the beginning. If you notice that your cake is undercooked in the middle, it is most likely one of these seven reasons we have discussed here. If you are preparing cake for a party or a number of guests it is also important to know how many people it will feed. Check out this post for more information on how many people certain cake sizes will feed.
Baking a cake might look easy, for but everyone out there that have undercooked a cake in the middle we know this is not always the case. As always thanks for reading and keep you kitchen Hot and Salty!
