Cake problems, diagnosed

A cake sinks when the center or overall structure cannot support the expansion created during baking. The strongest clue is when and how it collapsed: a wet crater points first to incomplete baking, while an unusually high rise followed by collapse points toward leavener, heat or aeration.

Look at the whole crumb, not just the center. A tight, even, slightly chewy crumb usually means too much structure from overmixing or excess flour. A heavy cake with a compressed or damp band can come from the opposite problem: too little mixing, poor creaming, weak leavener or batter that rose and then collapsed.

Start with flour amount and bake exposure. A cake that is dry throughout and breaks into dusty crumbs often has too much flour or too much time or heat in the oven. If only the edge is dry while the center is acceptable, pan size, pan color or oven heat moves higher on the list.

A gummy cake middle is not always just an underbaked center. Wet batter in the exact center points first to doneness, while a dense gummy band or gluey streak can come from mixing and structural problems—including both undermixing and overmixing.

Do not force the cake out immediately. Check whether the pan was greased and lined as the recipe required, then consider release timing. If the sides release but the bottom stays attached, missing parchment is the strongest clue.