3

I baked a German Apple Cake with a basic streusel on top.

It rose on the edges and fell in the center. I'm wondering if it was because the streusel did not reach the edges of the cake, or possibly because I put it on too early.

I followed the recipe I found on this website:

2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan.
  2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
  3. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.
5
  • 1
    Strudel? Or streusel?
    – Stephie
    Nov 5, 2016 at 19:12
  • Also, it may help to include how much you added - the actual amount (and also the strudel vs streusel) may make a difference if you used enough to be a physical weight on the batter.
    – Megha
    Nov 5, 2016 at 19:51
  • And did the cake test done before you removed it from the oven?
    – Giorgio
    Nov 5, 2016 at 22:24
  • 1
    I don't see anything in the recipe about a streusel, as @Stephie comments. All of the ingredients are combined. Did you create a streusel out of the dry ingredients and top the cake? That could account for the problem.
    – Giorgio
    Nov 6, 2016 at 15:30
  • 1
    Streusel, sorry. I did test that it was done before taking it out and the streusel covered the middle of the cake evenly. It didn't quite reach the edges, it was a basic recipe for it. Nov 8, 2016 at 22:18

1 Answer 1

2

There are a few reasons a cake might sink. First, you may have added too much baking soda or the baking soda may have been old. Or, you may have allowed your batter to sit for too long. Both of these would contribute to your cake over rising and then collapsing. Otherwise, most cake-sink cases have a lot to do with temperature. It's possible your oven doesn't reach the temperature it's set at (can be solved with handy thermometer) or you opened the oven too many times to check on your cake. If you're concerned about the streusel, try to apply it in a thin even layer, although I've never had a problem with it being so heavy the cake won't rise. Hope this helps!

1
  • I think I understand the problem now, I have no idea how old the baking soda was. Thanks May 16, 2017 at 10:55

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.