5 Things To Do with Sunken Cake
That feeling you get when you spend the time to bake a cake from scratch only to pull it out of the oven and see that it has fallen is one of the worst feelings in the world. But today I’m sharing 5 things to do with sunken cake so if you find yourself with a sunken cake again, you’re not wasting it!
If you love baking cake, check out some of my favorite cake recipes like Avocado Oil Chocolate Cake, Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake, Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake, Simple Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, or Simple Naked Birthday Cake.
In This Baking Guide
- 5 Things To Do With Sunken Cake
- Learn how to use up broken or sunken cake to reduce food waste
- Reasons why cake can sink
- Use these ideas for broken cakes too!
- Cake recipes you'll love
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Reasons Cake Sinks
- Underbaking – the center never fully sets, so it collapses as it cools
- Opening the oven door too early – sudden temperature drop causes the structure to fall
- Too much leavening (baking powder or baking soda) – cake rises too fast, then can’t support itself, so it sinks
- Expired leavening agents – weak rise leads to collapse mid-bake
- Overmixing the batter – incorporates too much air and weakens the structure
- Incorrect oven temperature – oven running too hot causes rapid rise, then sinking
- Too much liquid or fat – excess moisture prevents the cake from setting properly
- Improper pan size – batter too deep in the pan bakes unevenly
- Removing the cake from the oven too soon – internal structure hasn’t stabilized yet
- Cooling too quickly – drastic temperature change causes shrinkage and sinking
There can be many reasons your cake sank and in the heat of the moment (pun intended) when you open that oven you probably have no idea what the hell happened. Instead of throwing out the cake or frosting a sunken cake that will have very uneven cake to frosting ratios, use one of my 5 things to do with sunken cake!
And if you're a bakery owner, you can use these different ideas to sell as specials to recoup the loss of sunken or even broken cakes.
1. Make Cake Balls
Cake balls are my absolute favorite way to eat cake. And to make cake balls, you have to crumble the cake. That’s why sunken or broken cakes are perfect for cake balls as no one would even know it sank or broke!
Transform any sunken cake into cake balls by breaking it up and adding to a large bowl. Mix up some frosting. You can either use the frosting from the cake recipe you were following (as the amount should be enough), or make a classic like Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting or Caramel Buttercream Frosting that goes with most cake flavors.
Mix the cake and frosting together into the bowl, make sure the frosting coats the cake enough so you can roll them into balls and they aren’t dry. Freeze the balls on a baking sheet while you melt (or temper) your chocolate of choice (milk, dark, white). Coat the cake balls in melted chocolate and you have a brand new dessert that is sure to be a hit! Check out Eggless Red Velvet Sourdough Cake Balls or Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Balls.
2. Make Cake Jars
Cake jars are an incredibly easy thing to make with sunken cake. These also require the cake to be broken up, so if the cake sunk, as long as it’s cooked and tastes good then it’s okay to use!
Make up the frosting from the cake recipe or use a classic like my Homemade Whipped Cream Frosting. Gather your jars, use mason jars or even a milk glass! Layer cake in the bottom, top with some frosting, add in toppings like fresh fruit, sprinkles, or Homemade True Caramel Sauce. Layer with a second layer of crumbled cake, frosting, and topping!
3. Make Ice Cream Sundaes
Cake makes a great ice cream topping! This is a good use for your cake if it wasn’t all the way cooked and you didn’t realize until after it cooled. This way, you can just keep the sections that are cooked through and crumble them on top of ice cream (or even fold into homemade ice cream).
Drizzle your sundae with Homemade Chocolate Ganache, Homemade Caramel Sauce with Bone Broth, or Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce. Top with Homemade Organic Whipped Cream and sprinkles and you have a fancy sundae that your guests will think you actually planned!
4. Make a Yogurt Parfait
There’s nothing like a little cake in the morning! Add some broken up cake into your yogurt with fresh fruit for a brunch treat (or a healthy-ish dessert).
5.Make a Cake Shake
Add cake into a milkshake to make a Cake Shake. When I owned my bake shop, we would make these all the time with day old cupcakes. They’re damn delicious! Top them with Homemade Organic Whipped Cream for an impressive dessert.
More Cake Recipes
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