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Technical explanations for sunken centers, lost volume and unstable cake structure after baking.
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Core guide
A stable layer cake works when every layer can carry the load above it, moist inserts do not create a slippery or overly wet plane, cake layers are level, and the whole cross-section stabilises evenly before slicing.
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If an egg-foam sponge stays flat, first determine when the batter lost air. Thin batter immediately after whipping points to the foam; good volume that disappears after flour or…
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Sponge cake sinks when air and steam expand faster than the crumb can set. Check centre doneness, actual oven temperature, egg-foam stability, folding technique and the amount of…
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The most common mistake is scaling by pan diameter instead of base area. For two round pans at similar target batter depth, use (new diameter ÷ original diameter)²; 18 → 24 cm is about 1.78×.