pound cake collapse

Question

My girlfriend makes the best pound cakes. She finally shared the recipe, but I can't seem to get it to not collapse. It calls for 6 eggs, 1 c milk, 3 1/3 c flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 sticks salted butter, 3 tsp lemon extract, 3 c sugar. I cream butter/sugar, add eggs one at a time. I use White Lily flour (I sift but don't re-measure after sifting). I alternate the dry ingredients &amp;amp; milk, then add extract. Baked at 350 degrees for 1 hour. It rises and spills out the pan (I measured very accurately). I was told not to overbeat or it will not have the firmness, but fluffy instead. Alas, I never make it that far because it collapses before I can take it out. I successfully made this same cake only once before and felt so confident I decided to try, but the last 2 times I failed. Don't know what I'm doing wrong. Help!

pbroughton · Answer

Your stove could not be baking at an even temp. New stoves heat up from the top and bottom. Be sure to allow your stove to preheat before putting your cake in. If the middle of your cake is not well done and the sides are. The baking temp is too high. You wil need to bake from 15 to  25 degrees lower than the recipe recommends. lReduce the baking temperature  from 350 to 325 degrees and bake. If the top sinks, you might want to bake at 335 degrees. Try baking some cheap cake mixes to get an fix on what is the right temp for baking your cake.

Rebecca J. · Answer

Just had a 12 egg pound cake FALL.😡😡😡😡 My question is, if you put two Bundt pans in the oven together, could this make them fall?

caninechef · Answer

Maybe this recent food52 article is pertinent regarding structure and eggs. Maybe your friend uses eggs with big yolks?  https://food52.com/blog...

Debi · Answer

Dona thanks a million! I should have waited until I received this response from you. I tried my hand at it again last night &amp;amp; the cake cooked the right amount of time but burned a little on top &amp;amp; sides, inside was moist (not quite as firm as I would like), good flavor. I DID preheat the oven &amp;amp; I sifted. I'm going to give it one more try in a few days &amp;amp; use your advice for no sifting &amp;amp; a cold oven and see what happens. Thanks for your help!

Dona · Answer

I don't sift. I use a whisk to aerate the flour. I don't know about your recipe, but my pound cake is put into a cold oven, then I turn it on at 350 degrees F. My recipe is my mother's from the 50's. Good luck.

Debi · Answer

Thanks Dona!!! I use the very same type of bundt pan. I will try again with the AP flour &amp;amp; mix more. I suppose I should sift the flour?

Debi · Answer

C Sangueza, thank you for responding. I never open the oven once the cake is in. The only cool air exposure is indoor air conditioning. No jumping, thumping or vibrations. Found out my friend doesn't use White Lily, just regular flour (1st clue). Found some really helpful websites that discuss cake baking tips! Thanks!!

Dona · Answer

what pan are you using? My pound cake recipe is nearly identical to this one. I bake it in a 12 cup bundt pan. Try making the cake again using AP flour, and I would mix it more.

C S. · Answer

two thoughts:  Cakes fall if they are exposed to cool air before the proteins have set - so you should not open the oven door until you know it is set.  A big thump or vibration before it is set can cause it to fall.  Under baking can cause it to slump once it is out of the oven - because again it has not "set up".  Does your friend also use White Lily flour?  That is a really soft flour and will not develop the protein structure that a harder flour will.  (Usually that is good for baked goods because it keeps them tender - but you might check with your friend).  Have you looked at any cookbooks that discuss cake baking and the causes for failure?  There may be some insight there.  Good luck.

pound cake collapse

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