Why do baked goods sag after baking? This question is always relevant for housewives. Those few who have all kinds of biscuit cupcakes remain safe and sound and delight with both taste and appearance, in the culinary world most people associate with magicians - since sometimes even the most “secret ingredients” and “tricks” do not help.

Despite everything, the situation is not as hopeless as it might seem. This is not the time to despair! And the question of why baked goods settle after baking also has its own answer. In this article we will look at why this can happen and how to avoid it.

There was an error in the calculations

In fact, it is very important to consider where exactly the mistake was made, why the baked goods sag after baking: perhaps you are sinning in the oven, but the gap was made even before the raw dough, preparing to become fluffy and with a crispy crust, was there placed.

Be careful with the dough!

Reason number one: the dough was accidentally shaken. Under no circumstances should you slam the door sharply when preparing delicate dishes such as sponge cakes, cakes or pies. You need to carry the dough extremely carefully and carefully - only thanks to this attitude it eventually “rises” and pleases the hostess and her loved ones with taste, aroma and texture.

The quieter you go, the further you'll get

Reason number two: the oven was opened too early. Any baked goods should stand for at least ten to twenty minutes. Some - even more (follow the recipe). But in any case, in order not to ask once again why the cake settles after baking, for the love of God, you don’t need to immediately look into the oven as soon as you put it there. No, not even to watch “how he rises.” After all, it is precisely because of this rash act that a miracle will not happen.

Piping hot

Reason number three: the oven was not warmed up enough. It is recommended to preheat the oven in advance so that after the baked goods are taken out of it, they will be piping hot. Insufficient temperature may well be the reason why the cake sag after baking. If the problem manifests itself systematically, maybe it’s worth checking the equipment?

Will diligence and labor grind everything down?

Reason number four: whipping too long with a mixer. Housewives who do not have this important attribute in the kitchen envy those who own it with not white envy. After all, you have to beat it manually: with a whisk, or even with a fork. But perhaps they were luckier in some ways? After all, a mixer can also be the reason why a sponge cake settles after baking? Or not a sponge cake, but a birthday cake, which everyone was hoping for so much, and for which it is so offensive. The secret is that everything needs to be in moderation: beat enough so that the dough is airy, but not so long that it “falls” from shock.

Mathematical proportionality - time to brainstorm

Reason number five: the proportions of the test components were violated. If too much flour or, on the contrary, liquid was initially added to the dough, it will not rise as the hostess wants. Beginners are advised to make the mixture exclusively according to the recipe, while more advanced ones should act almost intuitively, on a whim, selecting the amount of certain elements of the composition. In any case, this reason is a very clear example of how baked goods can be spoiled long before they are put into the oven.

Cooking correctly

Below are listed and described in detail the reasons why bread sag after baking and pies fall:

What to do?

It is worth saying that sometimes preventing the mistakes described above does not help. And women clutch their heads, not knowing how to impress guests, family and friends with their cooking. Fortunately, all the secrets are freely available and are presented just below:

• Don't forget to sift the flour before adding it to the dough. It's a simple thing, but very useful. Airiness is guaranteed;
• optimality - in everything! Including the temperature of the water for breeding yeast in it. It should be exactly like that of a person bursting with health - thirty-six. Too cold a liquid will make you wait a long time until the dough deigns to “rise”, and a hot liquid will not only spoil the whole miracle of “rising”, but can even lead to spoilage of the product;
• Dishes - dry only! This is especially true for the one in which the whites will be beaten. One more note about this painstaking process: it is important to accurately separate the yolks from the whites. There are several ways to do this, including separating by hand, using a paper funnel, or using a knife or needles;
• intuition is intuition, and clear instructions are drawn up for a reason. If the recipe specifies an exact baking time, time it! Fortunately, stopwatches are not uncommon now. Otherwise, don’t ask why the cake sag after baking, but “enjoy” what has fallen. By the way, this also applies to temperature regulation: sometimes it is necessary during the baking process. Well, setting the required value at the beginning of cooking is a sacred task for servants of the culinary art;
• follow the sequence of actions. Remember how in "Harry Potter"? In order for the potion to turn out correctly, it is necessary not only to add all the ingredients, but in the correct order, and also to stir the exact number of times in a strictly indicated direction. Likewise, baking has its own secrets. For example, that soda cannot be extinguished separately from the dough, and even more so in advance. This is done directly together with the other ingredients, and is explained by the fact that the fluffiness should be achieved through gases, and if the product is not quenched in the dough, some of them (most of them) will simply evaporate.

Is it the cottage cheese?

Why does cottage cheese casserole settle after baking? What prevents it from remaining airy and light, melting in your mouth?

The point, of course, is not the cottage cheese. And for such a dessert, loved by both gourmets and ladies on a diet who care primarily about their figure, there are several ways to avoid settling. They are all based on cooking techniques.

Patience

Firstly, you should remember this rule once and for all: do not remove the baked goods immediately! Yes, this reason has already been indicated, but even experienced housewives “get caught” so often that it’s not a sin to remind you again. Temperature changes are a serious matter. When asked why the charlotte settles after baking, a cupcake or the same casserole - most likely, this was the problem. Sometimes it’s not even that the baked goods were taken out - the dough most likely fell out the moment the oven door was opened. So you can’t even peek or even “look”!

Compound

If the cottage cheese casserole falls every now and then and there is no sweetness with it, you can experiment with the composition. There are many means to add fluffiness to culinary products: from soda slaked with vinegar/citric acid, etc., which was used by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, to baking powder, helpfully supplied to the market by many manufacturers and sold at every kiosk. Essentially, of course, it will most likely contain the same soda and the same citric acid. But if the housewife is used to trusting purchased products, why not? After all, they also work. In addition, there is definitely less hassle with them. There is no need to think about at what point to add and how to “extinguish” the baking powder. He will do everything himself.

Both baking soda and baking powder are an option for the most persistent, but it is very important to remember that it is important not to overdo it with these products. After all, in the end, the baked goods will not only fall, but will not rise, and will also smell of soda and ammonia (this is sometimes found in baking powder).

Cold and hot

There are two ways to prepare a sponge cake. More precisely, the dough is for him. Depending on which one the hostess chooses, she will receive one or another result.

It cannot be said that one is guaranteed to be better and the other worse. But cold is suitable for ethereal-light rolls, the crumbliness of which is unbecoming.

A hot one gives a dense result, and after it you don’t have to wonder why the sponge cake settles after baking - after all, this usually doesn’t happen.

With this method, the dough is prepared in a water bath. It should be noted that many cooks prefer the cold method - as it is lighter, simpler and more understandable. But if the main thing is the result, it would be good not to be lazy and work hard to get the perfect sponge cake that will not fall.

Bread question

What to do to prevent the bread from falling off? Are there any subtleties in preparing this product, without which not a single meal is complete, and which, as you know, is “the head of everything”? Definitely yes.

The first reason why bread sag after baking is because the dough is too old. Then it becomes more and more sensitive, and accuracy no longer helps. If this happens, mix the dough again and place it again.

The second reason why bread can “fall” unevenly, with tubercles and be completely unsightly, is an excess of flour or liquid. We return to the rule of cooking exactly according to the recipe and not improvising.

That's all the secrets why baked goods sag after baking.

Cook with pleasure!

Prepare the ingredients for the biscuit.

Lightly grease a baking pan and line it with parchment paper (or grease it with butter, sprinkle with flour and shake off excess flour).
Sift the flour 1-2 times.
Separate the whites from the yolks.

The whites must be separated from the yolks very carefully so that not a drop of the yolk gets into the whites, otherwise the whites will not beat. Also, the bowl in which the whites will be beaten must be clean, without traces of fat. It is better to wipe it with a paper towel soaked in vinegar or lemon juice.

Place the yolks in a bowl, add half the sugar and vanilla sugar.

Grind the yolks well with sugar until they increase in volume and turn white.
The yolks can be mashed using a fork, whisk, mixer or rod chopper.

Place the whites in a clean bowl or mixer bowl.

Beat the whites with a mixer at medium speed until a light fluffy foam forms (to soft peaks).

Without stopping whipping, add sugar in a thin stream.
When all the sugar has been added, continue beating until the whites come out when you tilt (or turn) the bowl (be careful not to overbeat the whites).

Add a third of the whipped whites to the yolks.

And carefully, from top to bottom, mix with a silicone spatula.

Add sifted flour to the yolk mixture.

And mix well.

Then add the remaining whipped whites.

And very carefully, using top-down movements, as if lifting layer by layer, mix the dough.

Tip 1. The dough does not need to be stirred for a long time so as not to destroy the air bubbles that cause the sponge cake to rise.

Tip 2. You can add grated lemon or orange zest, sifted cocoa, and chopped nuts to the biscuit dough. These ingredients are pre-mixed with flour. If cocoa or nuts are added to the dough, you should take less flour by the same amount. Also, some of the flour can be replaced with starch.

Tip 3. The mold is filled with dough to no more than 2/3 of the height, since during baking the sponge cake increases in volume by about 1.5 times.

Pour the dough into the mold and smooth the surface.

Bake the biscuit in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 30-35 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from the pan, place on a wire rack and let cool.

Tip 1. During baking, it is advisable not to open the oven door for the first 20-25 minutes, otherwise the biscuit may fall off. But, if there is no need, it is better not to open the door during the entire baking time of the biscuit.

Tip 2. The sponge cake is ready if it has shrunk a little, the edges move away from the walls of the mold and when you lightly press it with your fingers, the sponge cake springs back and the hole is quickly restored.

If the mold was not covered with parchment paper, you need to use a knife to walk along the edge of the mold and separate the sponge cake from the walls of the mold. Cover the cooled sponge cake with a napkin or paper towel and let it rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours (then, when soaked in syrup, the sponge cake will not become soggy and crumble when cutting ).

Enjoy your meal!

One of the indicators of a skillful housewife is excellent baking. But even the most skilled chefs fail to produce even the most complex dishes. So many people complain that desserts don’t turn out well. In particular, they are interested in why the sponge cake settles after baking.

The main thing to understand is that baking powder is not a solution to the problem. Even the most expensive one or the one that always “works” in other recipes will not be able to prevent the cake from settling. Also, its threefold increased amount will not help - this will completely ruin the dessert.

If you also have this problem, then you will be interested in a few assumptions that will help you understand what to do to prevent the biscuit from settling.

Reason 1. Poorly selected products

By and large, the recipe is the same everywhere. But not every housewife can choose really high-quality products.

What to do?

Carefully select the ingredients for the biscuit, namely:

• eggs must be fresh (in “stale” eggs the whites are quite thick);
• choose granulated sugar as fine as possible;
• flour is bought only of the first grade and sifted at least three times.

Therefore, do not chase discounts in supermarkets - often discounted products are of dubious quality. At the same time, you will not only not save, but also lose significantly when you see that the sponge cake you prepared is a donkey.

Reason 2. Poorly beaten eggs

This is one of the most common causes of biscuit settling. There are many technologies, but only one is correct.

What to do?

You need to beat the whites as thoroughly as possible. Moreover, this must be done not only in a circle, like clockwise, but also vertically. This way you will achieve fluffy protein that can “hold” the finished dough.

Reason 3. Incorrect oven temperature setting

Temperature directly affects cooking. The reaction of products to too high or low degrees will respond with a completely unsuccessful dessert.

What to do?

Know the cooking technology. When baking a biscuit, the following temperature is set: at the initial stage it is 60 degrees. You keep it like this for about 30 minutes. Then gradually increase to 180 degrees. At the end of the cooking time, turn off the oven and do not open it until the biscuit has cooled completely.

These tips are very simple, but very important. Following them will help you bake your perfect biscuit.

Reason 4. The dough was not baked

If the biscuit dough is not baked, then immediately after baking it shrinks and the situation cannot be corrected.

What to do?

Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes of baking, and then start checking the cake every 5 minutes for doneness. If, after lightly pressing your finger in the middle of the biscuit, the depression is restored and no dents remain, then it is ready. If not, give it another 5 minutes and check again.

2173

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Sugar
• Chicken eggs

Perfectly smooth sponge cake

Sponge cakes are one of our favorites. The sponge cake is combined with a variety of creams, fruits, layers, mousses, therefore, having at your disposal a lush and tasty sponge cake, you can prepare a huge variety of cakes.

But very often, inexperienced housewives end up with a sponge cake with a lump in the middle. If you then cut the biscuit into pieces, it does not matter. But in order for all layers of sponge cake and cream to be even in a birthday cake, you should bake a sponge cake with a flat surface.

Housewives often cut off the swelling in the middle, crumble it and use it to sprinkle the sides of the cake. But you can take into account some tricks and your biscuit will always have a perfectly flat surface without any problems. In order to bake an even sponge cake, consider some nuances:

The prepared dough should be baked immediately. It shouldn't wait until the oven preheats and you prepare the pan, so everything should be ready in advance;

Preheat the oven to 180°C;

The mold must be covered with parchment paper, lightly greased with oil and sprinkled with flour. You should grease only the bottom, but not the walls, otherwise the dough will slide off the greased walls during baking and you will get a sponge cake that is swollen in the middle;

The form must be cold. If the dough does not lie flat in the pan, smooth it with a spatula and turn the pan with the dough on the table several times clockwise;

Cover the top of the pan with foil and secure it well around the pan;

Do not open the oven during baking to prevent the sponge cake from settling. The oven door should close tightly, the baking sheet in the oven should be level, and the pan itself, accordingly, should have a flat bottom;

Cool the cake on a wire rack.

How to bake a smooth sponge cake step by step instructions with photos:

Step 1

To work, we will need a baking dish, foil, parchment paper and biscuit products: eggs - 5 pieces, sugar - 1 cup and wheat flour - 1 cup.

Step 2

Line the pan with parchment paper, lightly grease and sprinkle with flour. There is no need to grease or sprinkle the walls of the mold with flour.

Step 3

Prepare biscuit dough according to your favorite recipe and place it in the mold. Level it out. Turn the mold clockwise with force several times (on the table). This will help the dough spread evenly in the pan.

Vladimir, how to make delicious biscuit dough?
Proportions for classic biscuit dough: for 1 egg 25 grams of sugar and 25 grams of flour. The result will be approximately 60 grams of biscuit. At first glance, everything is simple: measure, mix, bake. But in fact, in the preparation of biscuit dough there are a number of not obvious things that affect the final result.

For example?
Let's start with the products. Flour must be of the highest quality with high gluten. You cannot take the first grade or bran flour. Before cooking, the flour must be sifted. By the way, there is an option for making a sponge cake without flour, from chopped almonds or other nuts. You will get an almond sponge cake.

Let's go back to the classics...
Also needed for testing sugar, ordinary granulated sugar, fine. It will dissolve better when beaten with the yolks. It must dissolve completely, otherwise grains of sugar will brew, and this will affect the porosity of the biscuit. Undissolved sugar may cause a crunch in the finished product. Therefore, you need to beat well, the yolks until white, the sugar until completely dissolved.

What to beat with and what temperature should the products be at?
You need to beat intensively and do it better with a mixer with a spatula attachment. The yolk temperature may be slightly above room temperature. The longer the yolk sits at room temperature, the better. Protein, on the contrary, loves the cold. Therefore, the whites must be beaten with a cold whisk in a cold bowl until fluffy. There is no need for salt, sugar, or lemon juice - these are additives for meringues. For sponge cakes, the whites are whipped without anything else and always separately.

What's next?
You need to mix the yolks with sugar, add the sifted flour, mix and carefully fold in the whipped whites. To make the biscuit porous, it is important to mix carefully, by hand. The mass should remain airy.

How can you ruin biscuit dough?
For example, overbeat the dough: the longer you beat it, the more rubbery the sponge cake will be. Secondly, the biscuit can be " plant" There is such a concept in professional chef vocabulary. This means that the protein was not mixed into the dough correctly. When the sugar is beaten with the yolk, then the sifted flour is added and only then the whipped white should be added. It is better to do this manually, mixing very carefully with a spatula. So that the protein is distributed evenly, remains airy, and does not shrink. If the biscuit is planted, it can only be used for making cakes " Potato».

What else is contraindicated for biscuit dough?
Acid. If there is citric acid in the dough, it will destroy the protein and “seat” the biscuit. The biscuit does not need fat (butter or cream).

What then can be added to a biscuit without harm?
Almost any spices. For example, cinnamon, anise, star anise, Indian spices or cocoa powder. The main thing is not to overdo it. If ground cinnamon, then literally on the tip of a knife for one biscuit. Be sure to grind the spices well, mix with flour and sift before adding to the dough. Their set will depend on what the biscuit is needed for. If this is an independent dish, you should stick to the classic version, without additives.

What about more interesting additives?
Chocolate, for example. It must be melted, mixed and added when mixing the white with the yolk. Or here’s an unusual additive: matcha green tea. Add to the dough and get a green sponge cake. I prefer adding cloves or cinnamon; they give an interesting taste.

In what form should the biscuit be baked, and with what should I grease it?
In a round springform pan with non-stick coating: 24-26 cm is the ideal diameter. With high sides, the higher the dough, the fluffier the sponge cake. If the pan has a non-stick coating, you don’t need to grease it, just bake it. If using parchment, cut a circle the diameter of the bottom of the pan and a high strip, just above the sides.

At what temperature should the biscuit be baked?
If you bake in the traditional way in the oven, then for a thick sponge cake it is 180 °C, for thin - 200 °C.

What is “not traditional”?
Steam. My neighbor in the country, an Armenian, cooks this way. And it's really very tasty! This biscuit is much airier. Place a container on a pan of boiling water, pour the dough into it and “bake”. It takes longer to prepare, of course. The time depends on the thickness of the biscuit, but on average it is 40 minutes at 100 °C. You can bake the sponge cake in a convection steamer at 120°C. Sometimes it's worth trying to cook classic things in a different way like this.

Is it a myth that the oven door should not be opened while baking?
Believe me, it's not a myth. You really can’t open the oven, otherwise the biscuit will settle irrevocably. The biscuit dough rises due to the protein. It rises, gradually increasing in volume. And you need to be patient so as not to disturb the temperature regime. When the dough has risen, the volume has been fixed, baked at a sufficient temperature, it does not fall.

How long should it take before the oven can be opened?
20 minutes minimum. Then you can start looking, trying, checking readiness. Take a bamboo skewer, lower it into the middle and see: if it’s wet, the dough is still raw, if it’s dry, the biscuit is ready.

How to properly remove a sponge cake from the mold so that it does not fall apart?
The finished biscuit must be completely cooled in the mold for 4 hours.. Then carefully remove (you can trim around the perimeter with a knife), remove from the parchment and leave for another hour. Afterwards, the sponge cake can be cut, soaked and sealed with cream - this is if the cake needs to be prepared quickly.

When and how to soak a biscuit?
Ideal for soaking and gluing yesterday's sponge cake; it will absorb the impregnation better. The finished biscuit can be left overnight in the refrigerator, covered with film or placed in an airtight container so as not to absorb foreign odors.

Soak immediately before gluing. A good biscuit can absorb up to 2 liters of impregnation. Therefore, you need to soak it very well: take a spoon or brush and coat each cake generously.

What is the ideal way to soak a biscuit?
The impregnation should be cognac. You need to mix 1 part cognac with 10 parts sugar syrup. Mix well and soak the biscuit. Rum, Amaretto liqueur or coffee are also suitable as alcohol. The technology for coffee is the same as for tiramisu. Fresh espresso should be mixed with Amaretto liqueur. Or make lingonberry impregnation: cook fruit juice (according to any recipe) and mix it with syrup.

What kind of cream should I prepare?
Will do butter or buttercream, and whipped cream. For a classic cream, you need to beat 100 g of butter with 50 g of condensed milk, add a little 10 grams of cognac. It is good to shade the cream with berries, for example, lingonberries. When the sponge cake is glued with cream, let it soak for 3-4 hours at room temperature. After this, it can be covered with marzipan or mastic, as well as coated with cream on the outside and sprinkled with crumbs. The choice is huge - wafer crumbs, rice chocolate, coconut flakes or almond petals.

Chef's Tips:

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