Expert: Elyse Grau - 3/31/2010

Question
Hello, and thanks for being there to answer questions! I've tried a couple of time to make a scratch cake recipe that sounds really good, but my cakes come out flat. Sometimes they look like they're rising, then they flatten and sink after I take them out of the oven.
The recipe calls for using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. All I have is a hand mixer with beaters. Could this be the problem? Should I shorten or lengthen the beating time? Or will the hand mixer just not work for this recipe?
Many thanks for your help!

Answer
Michelle:
I'm not sure what kind of cake you're making, but it should be fine with a hand mixer. I assume you are creaming the butter and the sugar? You say they look like they're rising, do you open the oven to peak? That can sometimes cause a cake to fall - the rapid decrease in temperature. also, don't over beat after you add the eggs, just enough to mix the eggs in, and then just enough to moisten all the ingredients when you add the flour. Make sure your leaveners are fresh, and if the recipe calls for baking soda, don't let the cake sit at all between mixing and getting it in the oven.

Lastly, some recipes will sink in the middle as they cool. They usually have high amounts of leavening in them and may be dense cakes.

Elyse