Kitchen rescueBaking and pastryPartly saveable

How to fix a sunken cake

A cake that has sunk won't rise again, but you can hide the dip by filling it with whipped cream and fruit, cutting out the middle to make a ring cake, or turning it into a trifle.

How you can tell

  • The middle has dipped below the edges
  • The centre looks dense, damp or sticky
  • The cake rose well in the oven then collapsed

Why it happens

A cake rises because raising agents and beaten air make gas bubbles that expand in the heat, and then the flour and eggs set around them to hold the shape. If the cake comes out before the middle has set, or the oven door is opened too early and the temperature drops, the bubbles collapse and the centre sinks. Too much baking powder or bicarbonate of soda makes the cake rise too fast and then fall. Over-beating the batter after adding flour, or an oven that runs cool, can cause it too.

How to fix it

Option 1Fill the dip

  1. Let the cake cool completely
  2. Fill the sunken middle with whipped cream, buttercream or icing and top with fruit

Option 2Make a ring cake

  1. Cut out the sunken middle neatly with a knife or round cutter
  2. Ice the ring that's left and serve it as a ring cake

Option 3Use it in another dessert

  1. Cut the cake into pieces and layer it in a trifle with custard, fruit and cream
  2. Or crumble it and use it as a base for a layered dessert

Next time

  • Measure raising agents carefully, and replace old tubs, as they lose strength over time
  • Keep the oven door closed until the cake is nearly done
  • Check it's cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle, which should come out clean
  • Use an oven thermometer to check your oven runs at the right temperature

Terms on this page

General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.