How to stop fruit from sinking in muffins and cakes (2024)

FAQs

How to stop fruit from sinking in muffins and cakes? ›

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

There's nothing worse than taking your muffins out of the oven only to find out they've fallen flat or sunken in. It's a common mishap when baking muffins, but fortunately one that has an easy fix. According to Handle the Heat, the solution is simply to chill the muffin batter beforehand.

There are a few reasons: Chunky ingredients are denser and usually heavier than the batter—so down they go. The heavier the ingredient, the more it will sink, until you have a nice bottom crust of blueberries instead of evenly distributed, gooey berry goodness.

How to fix: set your oven to the temperature the recipe is calling for. Make sure to have an oven thermometer so you can regulate the temperature. If you under bake the cupcakes they will sink, because the middle of the cupcake won't have a chance to set and rise properly.

Your cake is often subject to sinking in the middle due to various factors, including inaccurate oven temperature, excessive or insufficient leavening agent, overmixing of the batter, or premature opening of the oven door. Moisture loss or incorrect ingredient ratios may also play a role.

Give It A Coat

The “added support” comes from tossing the blotted fruit in a thin layer of flour or cornstarch. You'll find this technique across professional baking cookbooks, but it's a step often missed by home bakers. “Use a sieve to gently toss fruit in flour or cornstarch,” instructs Wise.

Q: Why does fruit sink to the bottom of the cake? A: Cake mixture too slack, fruit too large and/or syrupy e.g glace cherries (see next question).

How to stop fruit sinking in cakes? ›

Simply toss the fruit in a small bowl with a small scoop of flour and add the lightly covered fruit to your cake mix and follow the rest of the recipe as normal. The light flour coating helps the fruit to 'stick' to the cake mixture better, stopping them from sinking.

Answer: Try tossing your berries with a tablespoon or two of flour before adding them to the batter.

Line an airtight container with paper towels and place the muffins on top in a single layer. And don't forget to add a few saltines to absorb moisture! Place paper towels above the muffins to soak up every bit of moisture. Seal with an airtight lid.

Dry-heat methods that enhance fruit include grilling or broiling, roasting or baking, and sautéing. No matter what method you use, take care not to overcook fruit. Exposure to heat breaks down fruits' cell walls, which results in water loss. The less time fruit is exposed to heat, the better it retains its shape.