You see the perfect cake in front of you, and it is your favorite flavor too. Tempting! But when you start to cut a slice for yourself, it starts to crumble. It is definitely going to be a turn-off.
The cake should be able to hold itself without any external aid. Right? The ideal cake should not even crumble when you cut it into slices.
However, if your cake is falling apart when you are taking it out from the oven or cutting it, your cake is definitely crumbly
But why does cake get crumbly in the first place?
A crumbly cake indicates that something has gone wrong during the baking process and that the ingredients present in your cake are not able to bind together.
Please keep reading to find the reasons why your cake crumbles and their solutions too.
Also Read: Why Does My Cake Sink In The Middle (How To Fix?)
Why Does My Cake Crumble- Reasons
The first thing you need to understand is that there is a difference between a dry cake and a crumbly cake. Many people associate both of them together, but they are pretty different.
Though, it can be said that there is a high chance that a dry cake will often turn out to be crumbly. It is because, in a dry cake, there is not enough liquid content that is supposed to hold the cake ingredients together.
While preparing the batter for your cake, you should pay attention to the quantities of the ingredients. The successful formula to get the perfectly baked cake is the ratio of the recipe ingredients and the way they all are mixed to form the batter.
Here are some possible reasons which clarify why your cake comes out crumbly from the oven.
Also Read: Why Does My Pound Cake Crack On Top (Reasons & Fixes)
1. Overmixing of the cake batter
When you mix your flour with the liquid ingredients of the cake recipe, proteins present in the flour become active and start combining to form gluten.
Gluten gives the required stretchability to the cake mix and holds bubbles too. When you overmix the cake mix for an extended period of time, a lot of gluten forms in the mix.
Gluten is not the enemy here, but a lot of gluten in the mix will make your cake dry and hard which will ultimately make your cake crumbly.
While preparing the cake mix, remember that less is always better. Do not over-mix the recipe’s contents because it will not do any good to your cake and will make it dry and crumbly.
When all of the ingredients are entirely mixed and adequately aerated, it is your cue to stop mixing.
Also Read: How Does The Number Of Eggs Affect a Cake (Explained!)
2. Imbalance of ingredients
When your baked cake is crumbly, it is often because the flour lacks sufficient moisture to sustain the cake’s structure.
When this occurs, the ingredients of the cake mix are often out of proportion, like excess flour, inadequate sugar, insufficient fat, and insufficient eggs.
Any of these issues might result in a crumbly cake. Therefore it is essential to measure the ingredients exactly as the recipe directs.
You may question how a cake with insufficient sugar might become crumbly, but despite being seen as a dry component, sugar really adds to the moistness of your baked cake.
The reason is that the baked cake will have more structure and stiffness because sugar helps to emulsify the fats in the cake mix.
Resist the urge to add extra flour if your cake mixture seems to be overly runny. This will definitely result in a crumbly cake.
3. Overbaking
One of the most common reasons why cake becomes crumbly when you take it out of the oven or cut a slice to serve is that you over-baked your cake in the oven.
So how does overbaking make your cake crumbly? Overbaking makes the cake lose its moisture which makes it dry and ultimately crumbly.
Also Read: Why Does My Cake Taste Like Cornbread (10 Reasons)
How To Fix The Problem Of Crumbly Cake?
To fix any problem, you have to find the problem in the first place, and this is the hardest part. To fix a crumble cake, you have to first know what is causing it.
And the hard part? You cannot tell if your cake is crumbly or not unless and until it is baked and you slice it. But what if you have no idea at all about the problem with your crumbly cake?
Do not bother because we have got you covered. Follow the list mentioned below, and we promise you will find your perfect cake recipe.
Make An Adjustment In Your Recipe
As we discussed above, the main reason why your cake is coming out crumbly is that there is a lot of flour in your cake mix or an insufficient amount of sugar, fat, and eggs.
To solve this issue, you just have to increase the fat and sugar content in the cake mix and increase the flour amount by 10%.
Do Not Overmix
If your cake is crumbly because of the gluten formation, then it can be deduced that the problem is in overmixing of the cake mix.
You cannot fix this problem when your cake is baked in the oven, but you can avoid it the next time you start to bake a brand-new cake.
To reduce the mixing, you can mix all your dry ingredients in one bowl and all your wet ingredients in one bowl. When it is time to combine them, just transfer everything into one bowl and mix.
Make Alterations To The Baking Time
Though it is advised to follow the recipe, you need to understand that not every oven is the same. You have to make adjustments to the recipe and baking time in accordance with your oven.
If your cake comes out overbaked, dry, and crumbly from the oven every time, it’s an indication that you need to change the baking time.
Reduce your temperature by 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit and also reduce the baking time by about 10 percent.
Change Your Old-Age Recipe
If you are taking all the proper measures to prevent your cake from being dry and crumbly, then it is possible that you may not have the most perfect recipe in your hands.
If you are doing everything correctly but your cake is crumbly time, and again, you have to adapt to a new recipe.
FAQ
Why does the top of my pound cake crumble?
The top of the pound cake is crumbling, but I do not know why? Here is your explanation.
When you mix eggs with the batter, the batter becomes light because of the overbeating of the eggs.
This lighter batter will start to overflow during the baking process, which results in the crumbling of your pound cake.
How do you cut a baked cake without it crumbling?
If you are facing continuous failure in cutting your cake neatly, these mentioned simple tips are made precisely for you.
- Place your cake in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes – It will make the cake and frosting sturdier so that it won’t crumble when cut.
- Use a hot knife for every cut – Place your knife under the hot water, wipe it dry with a cloth and cut your first slice. Repeat the same for every cut.
- Use a serrated knife – You may think that a straight blade will be more appropriate for cutting the cake, but in reality, a serrated knife will cut your cake without it crumbling.
Final thoughts
There can be quite a number of explanations for why your cake is coming out crumbly from the oven.
You may be over-mixing the cake mix, which results in the formation of a high amount of gluten, or you are just over-baking your cake.
An imbalance of ingredients and recipes can also result in the formation of dry and crumbly cake.
If you are also dealing with the issue of crumbly cake, you can adopt some of the measures which will ensure that it will never happen in the future.
Make alterations in your recipe and baking time according to your oven needs. Make sure you avoid over-mixing and over-baking your cake.
Happy baking!
