Why hasn't my cake risen?

[cornflakegirl]

I'm trying to bake the BBC Good Food Ultimate Chocolate cake. I've made it a dozen times before without an issue.

We make it using two thirds of the batter amounts in two tins. Done this multiple times with no problem.

I made it last night, baked it for 40 mins at 140C. It was risen and cooked at the edges but sunken and gooey in the middle. Made it again this morning, using plain flour plus bicarb instead of the self-raising in case that was the issue, same outcome.

The only thing I can think that is different from previous successful cakes is that we've replaced the oven since I last made this cake. We've made other cakes without a problem, but maybe it's not doing the lower temperature well?

Photo of the second attempt.

I had a lot of problems when I moved & had to get used to a new oven.
Top-of-the-range Smeg & it's crap.
Have you got an oven thermometer to test the temp ?

No thermometer. Might have to get one - but making this as a birthday cake for today, and can't get a thermometer that quickly.

My first thought was that you could try 180C and protect the edges with parchment paper since they are going too fast as compared to the centre.

Take my advice with a grain of salt, though. My chocolate cakes always come out as dense as neutron stars 😳

Agree with it being the oven that's the issue.

How fresh is your flour and bicarb? Raising agents lose their potency after a few months.

140 for 40 seems too low and too short
is that the recipe guidelines word for word?
what oven brand did you get? I had a SMEG and it did its own thing when it came to temperatures

Looks like it cooked too quickly. Suggest lowering the temp and cooking longer, test with a tooth pick once you can smell a strong chocolate cake smell.

for extra air I’d whisk the egg whites with the sugar before adding to the other ingredients by folding in

should be plain flour and baking powder not bicarb? 140 seems low for a sponge cake, I usually bake at 170 in a fan oven.

Is it 40 mins because you’ve reduced the batter quantity? The recipe says 1hr 25mins to 1hr 30mins. Assuming I’m looking at the right recipe - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ultimate-chocolate-cak

Plain flour plus bicarb won't give you SR flour! You need baking powder (bicarb plus cream of tartar) because bicarb won't rise without an acid.

I would use baking powder not bicarb if not using self raising flour. It seems like quite a low temperature and a short baking time. Did you maybe use the fan oven temperature but not a fan oven setting? It took me a while to figure out the oven symbols when we moved house and I had a different make of oven.

Did you use bicarb or baking powder. If using plain flour you need baking powder as the raising agent. My cakes never turn out well on lower temps

Yes, of course I should have used baking powder instead of bicarb, thanks. Was rushing this morning before work. Will try again doing that properly. Or maybe just buy some new self raising flour.

The recipe is for one big cake that you then slice into three. I make less, and in two tins, so reduce the cooking time. Done this multiple times without issue.

Then if the only change is the oven, it must be that. Shame you can’t get an oven thermometer today to test it.

When I make a chocolate cake I tend to split it between 2 cake tins, then cook for around 25 -30 mins at 180 (fan oven). They always turn out ok

I wonder if your oven temperature is too low. When I make cakes smaller or cook in sandwich tins rather than as one cake, I generally raise the temperature a bit. If your previous oven ran hot, you may actually have been cooking them at a higher temperature before - does this sound like it might be a possibility?

Also, I have produced a similar-looking chocolate cake when I accidentally left out some liquid, but if you have made the recipe twice already then it seems unlikely that would be the cause.

140 is too low. Your oven may also run cool. Up the temp to 150/155 - also rotate the tins in the oven halfway through as your oven seems to be baking unevenly. Using two-thirds of the batter split between two tins lowers the batter depth. At 140 that can prevent proper rise because the cake sets before gases expand fully. Try baking a single deeper cake or increase temperature slightly for thinner layers.

Substituting plain flour and bicarb for self-raising changes the acid–base balance. The BBC recipe relies on the acidity of buttermilk and coffee to activate the bicarb in tandem with self-raising flour’s baking powder. So stick to the OG recipe.

I did forget the coffee in the first try, so it could be that. It's not a big volume, so I didn't think it would make a difference (and I think I've done it once before without issue), but clutching at straws a bit...
Will try it again today with fresh flour. And then get hold of an oven thermometer if that doesn't work.

I've made the cake in at least two different ovens previously, so feels unlikely but not impossible that they were both running hot.

Any suggestions for using up under-risen cake? It tastes really good!

Chop it up and use as an ice cream topper… or trifle base! You can also make cake pops.

Eat it with gently whipped cream and berries. If you have a microwave, warm it first.

If it survives being removed from the tin, you can also serve it up as a.dessert: put a tier of cake on a big plate (warm the cake in the microwave if you like), then fill the middle with whipped cream and berries.

Trifle and serving with berries and cream both sound great! (Can one put candles in trifle...?)

This

Unless bicarb was a typo?

Used new flour and it worked. Thanks everyone!

And bought berries and cream for the rest.