Stop Fruit From Sinking to the Bottom of Cake - Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

Stop Fruit From Sinking to the Bottom of Cake - Bigger Bolder Baking? ›

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.

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.

Over-Aerating the Batter

For the most part, the air bubbles created by creaming and expanded by leavening are all you need. If you beat in more air when you add eggs and dry ingredients, you can create large bubbles that weaken the cake's structure and cause it to collapse.

Reserve some flour for your fruit

If you plan to bake your cake with fruit on top, pastry chef and food influencer @austrianwithwuff says, you'll need a bit of extra flour to effectively do so. Per her instructions, just before adding your fruit of choice onto your cake, dip the bottoms into flour.

Cake sinking after baking can be prevented by ensuring the oven is preheated correctly, using the right size of baking tin, avoiding opening the oven door too early, checking for doneness with a toothpick, and allowing the cake to cool gradually in the oven before removing it.

Fold them into the batter last, before you put the cake in the oven.

Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each; fill with 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Top with remaining batter. Bake at 350° for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean.

Try a temperature of 425º F. If this temperature is significantly hotter than the recipe calls for, reduce the baking time. The best test to determine doneness is insert a wooden pick into the center of one of the center muffins before removing the pan from the oven.

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.

How to stop fruit dropping to the bottom of a cake? ›

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.

If your cake was cooked to the proper temperature, chances are it is still edible even if it sunk in the center. Check that it's baked through the middle, then try a small piece of your cake. It might not taste good if the ingredient measurements were off. Notice the texture to make sure it's not too dense or spongy.

Adding too much liquid to fruit cakes can also result in the fruit sinking to the bottom and can cause a creamy wet stickiness to the baked cake which can't be remedied. Following the recipe and a little common sense will pay big dividends.

What do I do with a cake that's too wet? Rebake it for a few minutes at the temperature you originally baked it at. If only the middle of the cake is partially cooked, remove the fully cooked edges and rebake just middle part.