Summary of Main Cake Ingredient Faults

Reason for Fault

Excess Sugar – Sugar dilutes the gluten and softens the proteins and delays the gelatinisation. Extra sugar caramelizes leading to dark and hard crust.

Faults in Cake

• ‘M’Fault
• Collapse in centre of cake
• Whiter spots on the crust
• Crust colour dark
• Dense texture
• Sticky crumb
• Crunchy surface

Reason for Fault

Insufficient Sugar – There is less aeration and a lower volume.

Faults in Cake

• ‘X’ Faults
• Peaking
• Less softening
• Dry crumb
• Decreased crust colour
• Lower Volume

Reason for Fault

Excess Fat – Too much fat causes too much aeration for the batter to support. Shortening of the gluten occurs so the batter is less stable. Fat encourages the batter to flow causing the flat top.

Faults in Cake

• Tender
• Greasy
• Crumbly texture
• Soft
• Lower volume
• Flat top

Reason for Fault

Insufficient Fat – Fat traps air in the cake batter so there is less air in the mix. The batter does not flow properly. Insufficient shortening of proteins lead to a tough product.

Faults in Cake

• Peaking
• Tough product
• Lower volume

Reason for Fault

Excess Egg – Batter curdles leading to smaller volume. Air bubbles escape easily. Excess moisture countered by excess protein from the albumin. Bright yellow colour because of more egg yolks present.

Faults in Cake

• Bubbly top
• Coarse texture
• Lower volume

Reason for Fault

Insufficient Egg – Protein low. Pale crumb colour. Insufficient egg albumin so there is less peaking, more chance of sinking.

Faults in Cake

• Low volume
• Dry cake
• Sometimes the cake sinks
• Pale crumb colour
• Collapse at the sides
• Shrinking from the sides

Reason for Fault

Excess Flour – Less colour. Less of all ingredients in proportion to the flour encourages toughness.

Faults in Cake

• Dry
• Dense
• Crumbly
• More like scone dough
• Tough

Reason for Fault

Insufficient Flour – The batter is very wet and flows. It collapses because there is not enough gluten to support the batter. Too much liquid for it to hold up.

Faults in Cake

‘X’ fault

Bone at the bottom

Reason for Fault

Excess Baking Powder – The structural ingredients are torn apart. The batter becomes too big to support itself. In some cakes a ‘greeny’ tinge can be seen caused by excess residue salts.

Faults in Cake

• ‘M’ Fault
• Collapsed in centre of cake
• Loose, open texture
• Dark crust

Reason for Fault

Insufficient Baking Powder – Baking Powder contributes to crust colour and so lack of it diminishes colour. Chemical aeration is reduced.

Faults in Cake

• Very low volume
• Light colour
• Dense, tough