How To Fix The Most Common Vegan Baking Mistakes - Sara Kidd (2024)

FAQs

Why did my vegan cake collapse? ›

You may have added too much raising agents to your batter which causes it to rise too quickly and then sink as your batter doesn't have enough structure to hold the height or there isn't enough room for the cake to continue to grow.

You used too much fat

Fats such as oil or vegan butter help to make cakes soft and moist but you can have too much of a good thing! If you use too much fat, the batter will be too heavy to rise and your cake will end up flat and greasy.

This can happen for a few reasons, but the biggest reason is that your ingredients weren't room temperature. If your ingredients, even vegan ingredients, aren't all room temperature (i.e. some are cool, some are warm, some are hot), the cake will come out gummy.

You used the wrong egg substitute

This is especially true if you're trying to veganize a non-vegan recipe. Things like dairy-free yoghurt, bananas or chia 'eggs' can make your cake turn out dense and gummy if the other ingredients are not also adjusted.

In vegan cakes, the absence of the egg makes it so that it's all about taking advantage of gluten formation to build structure. This means that when you take the egg out of a cake recipe, you're going to be taking out the primary structure builder, which means that the cake is going to fall flat.

Can I Put My Sunken Cake Back in the Oven? If you notice quickly that your cake is underbaked, you can pop it back into the oven to finish baking. This will not 'fix' the sinkage or help it rise any further, but it may help salvage the inedible center of the cake.

It's all in the chemistry: the acidity in the vinegar reacts with the baking soda creating bubbles and making your batter rise.

You can make your vegan baked goods rise (erupt) in a very similar way (just minus the dish soap). Simply put, you acidify a liquid ingredient in your recipe, and then add baking soda. During the baking process, the acid and the base (the baking soda) react together, and voila! you get a fluffy, light cake.

One of the key factors that can lead to dense cakes is the incorrect ratio of ingredients. Baking is a science, and even a small deviation from the recipe can have a big impact on the final texture of your cake. Too much flour or not enough leavening agents like baking powder can result in a dense cake.

Too much baking powder will cause a cake to rise too quickly and too much, making it crack or spill over the sides of the tin. Reducing the amount of raising agent or using a combination of plain and self-raising flours will help produce a more even surface.

Why is my vegan cake so dry? ›

Too Much Flour:

Flour is what gives the cake its structure, but too much of it can make the cake dry and crumbly. To avoid this, make sure to measure the flour accurately and add less if necessary.

So, to prevent moist cakes, make sure you're binding the ingredients well. If over-mixing is a problem, so is under-mixing.

Cakes crumble because they've dried out too much. From years of baking, I know that dry cakes happen for one of two reasons; using too much of your dry ingredients or over-baking your cake.

One of the most common misfortunes among bakers is that they are using too much baking soda or baking powder. Know that too much baking soda or baking powder in cakes will not just lead to a metallic and bitter taste, but it can also make a big mess in the oven as it will rise beyond expectations.

The center of the cake isn't fully baked through, so it doesn't have a chance to set, creating a sunken cake with a doughy and dense texture. Bake cake a few extra minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

There are a few reasons why your vegan cake might fall apart. One common reason is overmixing the batter, which can activate the gluten in the flour and create a crumbly texture. Not using enough liquid or fat can also result in a cake that falls apart.

If you use too much baking soda and/or baking powder, your cake will rise too quickly in the oven, causing it to collapse and sink. To prevent this from happening, make sure to use the correct raising agent (baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing) and the correct amount of it.

The leavening agent is the ingredient that helps the cake to rise. Too much baking powder or baking soda can create excess gas in your cake, making it expand too quickly without the proper structure, only to deflate once you take it out of the oven.

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.