Why does a cake become fluffy after baking? (2024)

FAQs

Why does a cake become fluffy after baking? ›

Due to the release of Carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, the cake becomes fluffy.

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake.

Baking soda changes the texture of baked goods by causing a batter or dough to spread, while baking powder produces light, fluffy texture. Some recipes may call for baking soda or baking powder on their own, while others may require both ingredients to create the ideal balance for great texture.

Any fat, eggs and sugar all contribute to the moisture level of the cake. It could be a problem with the recipe or a problem with your method. It's also important to remove the cake from the tin soon after baking to cool completely. After about ten minutes is best and leave it on a wire rack to cool.

Using an air-tight container is the best and easiest way to keep your cake from getting exposed to air. However, if you don't have one of those, you can wrap your cake in cling film, or if it's iced, place a large inverted bowl over it to trap the air.

It is important to note that baking soda is responsible for making cakes and pastries to be light and fluffy. The chemical name and formula of baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and \[NaHC{{O}_{3}}\]. Baking soda reacts with tartaric acid and generates sodium tartrate, water and carbon dioxide.

Fluffy means that the mixture will be soft, evenly mixed and aerated. It will be paler in colour. You can do it with a wooden spoon in a roomy bowl with a vagarous beating (about 3 minutes) or using an electric hand mixer will make light work of it.

To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.

A leavening agent is a substance that causes dough to expand by releasing gas once mixed with liquid, acid or heat. Rising agents give baked goods optimal volume, texture and crumb and can include baking soda or baking powder, whipped egg whites or cream, active or instant dry yeast, and even steam.

What makes a cake dense and heavy? ›

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

So even though the cake might be moist and sweet enough the first day, the simple syrup helps ensure that the cake will still be moist the day it will be eaten. Brushing a cake with syrup adds moistness and flavor, especially if you've used something interesting in the syrup.

If the oven is too hot, the cake will set too fast before the air bubbles have formed. If the oven is not hot enough, the cake will rise too much, then fall in the center before it is set. Bake a cake mix cake for a test run to check your oven temperature. (Make sure you've preheated your oven, too.)

If the batter contains too much raising agent, this may result in a cake rising too quickly. Reduce the amount of raising agent. If the baking pan is too small, the batter has nowhere to go but up. It will then form a dome, and eventually crack.

Too much flour or not enough leavening agents like baking powder can result in a dense cake.

As Bhuvana says most just cut off the dome with a long knife. You can often just flip the cake upside down to the flat bottom side as well if the dome is not too high.