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There’s nothing more frustrating than spending time, energy, and money on a recipe only to have it not turn out correctly. This is especially demoralizing when you bake a layer cake or a loaf and it sinks in the center!
You are viewing: Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle
Sometimes it just slumps in the middle and you can salvage the results.
Other times it looks like a crater and is uncooked in the center and you have to throw it away.
Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be! These are questions we see from HTH bakers all the time:
- Why does my banana bread sink in the center?
- Why does my lemon loaf collapse?
- Why did my cake sink after cooling?
This article will give you a quick list of how to prevent cakes and loaves from sinking, like in the pictures of sunken loaves from readers Kati and Mari above.
Why did my cake or loaf sink in the middle? #1 Reason: Your cake or quick bread loaf is underbaked.
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This could be due to several factors, which are all outlined below!
What to Do If Your Cake Sunk
If your cake layers have already sunk or slightly collapsed in the center, here are some ideas for fixing them.
Minor Sinking:
To salvage a small amount of sinking, you’ll just use your buttercream to level out the cake. Place one layer sunken side up. Use a generous amount of frosting for the filling. Place the second layer flat side up.
Moderate Sinking:
If your cake is noticeably sunken in the center but is still cooked through, use a cake leveler to even it out. A cake leveler makes quick and easy work of creating a perfectly even cake layer. If you don’t have one, you can also use a serrated knife.
Major Sinking:
If your cake has completely collapsed in the center and is raw or underdone in the center, there are still a few options to salvage it. You could always cut the cooked sections of the cake up into cubes and make a trifle. Or even make cake pops.
Another alternative is to use a paring knife or cookie cutter to remove the centermost part of the cake which is sunken. Fill that part with fruit, candies, or buttercream for a ‘surprise inside’ cake.
What To Do If Your Quick Bread Loaf Sunk
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Unfortunately, there are a few less options to fix an already sunken loaf of quick bread and still maintain a beautiful-looking result. A few ideas on how to rescue a collapsed loaf are below.
Minor sinking:
If your loaf is just slightly sunken in the center instead of domed, you can opt to distract with a glaze or frosting.
Moderate to major sinking:
If your loaf is noticeably sunken in the center and undercooked, you can slice and toast the center pieces to firm up any gooeyness. Smear with butter or even peanut butter or nutella… or ice cream! You could also make French toast with these slices.
If you don’t want the texture of toasted banana bread, you can also take a center undercooked slice, wrap in a wet paper towel, and microwave until cooked through.
Another idea is to cube up the banana bread to make a rich bread pudding.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin (the non-sunken ones ;)).
More Science of Baking Articles:
- How to Prevent Cakes & Cupcakes From Sinking
- How to Prevent Cupcake Liners from Sticking
- How to Prevent Bundt Cake from Sticking
- How to Convert Cake into Cupcakes (and Cupcakes into Cake!)
- Everything You Need to Know About Sugar in Baking
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
