Why do my cakes deflate?

[GetYourMoneyBackAtTheDoor]

Probably really simple but I know little about baking. I make a Victoria sponge every week and its nothing special but it's fine. However, within seconds of coming out of the oven it looks like someone's lets the air out of it, all flat and wrinkly! It looks great when I take it out.

What am I doing wrong? TIA

Your not cooking them quite long enough

Ok to test a sponge, open over door once and gnetly prod the top of cake it should spring right back when you have taken your finger off.

The should shrink back a little, but wrinkly and flat would be just a little too soon out of oven

hth

sounds as though your oven is a little too hot so it's giving the impression of a good rise, but it's not properly cooked inside so once the air bubbles have cooled, the cake doesn't have the substance to retain that rise.

what sort of oven do you use? can you reduce the heat by 10/20 degrees and see what happens?

Right so not cooked through. Oven is a heap of junk old fan oven, about 20 years old. I need to use an oven thermometer as it is about 30 degrees hotter than it should be according to the the dial! Thermometer probably not that accurate either as I doubt the oven is an even temp throughout. Its allegedly about 170 degrees - shall i try it lower. Also...

...when I press it it doesn't spring right back but they always start to look a little over-done at the edges, and get a bit crispy. Could that be my cheap baking tins? There's no hope is there!

Rippingyarns, your description sounds like exactly what's happening.

the overcooked edges could also be to over-greasing the tins, they might be frying rather than baking

also, try to use butter rather than spreads/oil for greasing - oils and spreads liquify on heating, and become less of a barrier to the baking tin and more of an ingredient, butter changes state during heating but remains a barrier

let us know how you get on?

Thanks, I will. DS is allergic to dairy so I have to use his special spread in place of butter - the cakes taste fine but maybe not so good for greasing then. Are there any containers you don't need to grease?

Silicone moulds don't need greasing.