SINK? I never opened the oven until it was time to pull it out and there it sat, my cake with a sink hole. Why what did I do wrong?

Did it sink before or after it came out of the oven?

If it sinks as it cools it could be a sign that it is underbaked.

No it when I looked in on it there it was a cake with a crater.

It sounds like you took the cake out a little too early. You need to check the middle really well...for some reason...that is always the part that wants to sink!

I have only had two cakes sink before taking them out of the oven. It was the 8x3 pan and DH Butter Recipe (made the same way both times). I even used two different ovens. Never did figure it out.

Maybe someone else can help you out here. Was it a mix or scratch baking? Did you add anything to the orginal recipe?

It was DH I used the extender and it was 8x2 in pan

I have found with the extender receipe that when I use sour cream it makes my cakes shrink....they have never sank but have shrunk....

You know, I always have weird results with that DH butter cake mix. It bakes up some weird crusty crust that tastes really good but is...weird.

cakekpro, I have the same problem with the butter cake mix. I don't use it anymore.
You could have overbeat your batter. Beat only until combined.

Julie

I've experienced sink holes when there was either too much sugar or butter in the recipe, however, butter mixes, for me, have had about the same results that you've had. I recomend using no butter mixes. I avoid them now.

Never had a cake sink, except for a recipe in Martha Stewards Wedding cake recipe in the back of the book. It was weird from the begginning and a delicious cake! But when it baked it sank in the middle and just didn't cook. With all of that butter gone to waste!!!

Another thing that happened to me on this line was my made from scratch pound cake on a coupleof occassions had a huge air bubblein it after baking. I mean HUGE! I don't understand what may have caused that. Can someone share some insight as to why this may happen also. I made sure I wacked my cake panon the coluntertop before baking to get out any airbubbles.

Hey I just make the DH butter recipe today doubled in my 16" square pan - it baked fine but it also had that crust on the top which I have never had happen before!! I am glad to know that somebody else has experience it! It did not sink though...wierd!!

I mainly bake from scratch and had a problem with my oven after 1 year usage.

I say my oven because a friend of mine has the same stove I have and her cakes that never sank, as well as mine, started sinking after about a year.

Well, anyway, that said, there are a few things you need to troubleshoot before deciding what caused. I went thru a lot of heartache trying to figure mine out.

Here is a few things to check:

1. Check the oven temp with a good oven thermometer. I was recommended a brand Taylor. Ovens with time tend to mess up a bit on the oven temp. FOr example, you could set your oven at 350 and actually be baking at 325.

2. Make sure of course that you don't overbeat or underbeat your batter.

3. Make sure that you follow the recipe correctly or doctor it correctly if using a mix.

I was told to help with sinking problems to use a tablespoon of Meringue Powder per mix and bake at 350 instead of 325.

I haven't had much of a problem since I do this. But again, I bake from scratch so this things have worked for me.

I hope I could help a bit.

I have had bad luck with DH cakes made as the package reads, they seem to crumb terribly. I assume it is because it calls for so much water. I love using the Cake Mix Doctor, I don't recall having issues with DH when I use a recipe from this book.

Thats funny, Duncan Hines works better for me than other brands...

I've had problems with DH and Betty Crocker sinking when I doctored it with the milk and butter. It made a thick line in the middle of the cake. I only use pillsbury because it seems to work the best for me with a doctored recipe...it seems to be the most conducive to the added ingredients.

If you have an older box of cake mix sometimes the rising ingredients go inactive. You can counter act this with a T of meringue powder or an egg white. But this might cause the sinking you are talkng about. Even if you just bought the mix, sometimes they sit on the grocery shelf for a long time.

Thanks for all the responses. My guess is that I may have over beat the batter. Thats the only thing that makes sense being that everything else was done the same as always.

Thank you guys.