Cake baking fail? There’s a good chance one of these things went wrong.

Regardless of whether there’s an actual occasion to mark, a cake is always a cause for celebration. That is, unless something has gone awry in baking it. We’ve all been there, and I can tell you based on personal experience that a botched cake is just as powerfully disappointing as a successful one is thrilling.

Take this question I recently received:

“I’m a moderately decent cook and OK baker. But cakes elude me. They always turn out dry, or dense or just bad. Most recent was a 6″ vanilla cake that came out the texture of cornbread. I have no idea what I am doing wrong, I follow the recipes to a T.”

As with any kind of baking, I’m convinced there’s no such thing as a bad cake baker. Bad recipes? Yes. Bad habits? Surely. But no one is destined for permanent cake failure.

If, like the reader here, you’ve struggled with dry or dense cakes, I can help. Here are some potential issues to troubleshoot, as well as a few bonus tips to solve other common cake problems.

Oven temperature

The built-in thermometers on ovens are notoriously inaccurate. If your cakes are consistently coming out dry, there’s a good chance they are overbaking, so this would be the place to start. Verify with a stand-alone oven thermometer that the appliance is running true to temperature. (Keep in mind that the oven may cycle on and off, so you’ll want to check it at various points and look for the average.) If not, adjust the temperature setting accordingly. You can also recalibrate the oven or call in a professional to help.

Bake time

The reader question above centered around issues with 6-inch cakes, but the size may be part of the problem, especially since recipes are generally written for 8- or 9-inch pans. If you choose to change the size of the pan called for in a recipe, you may need to make other modifications, including scaling down the ingredients, using fewer (or more) pans and altering how much batter you pour into them. Changing the bake time — but not temperature — is on the table as well. In this particular case, the reader may need to reduce the bake time, depending on how much the original recipe was scaled down, and start checking for doneness five or even 10 minutes earlier.

Pan color

Dark pans tend to bake things faster, which can quickly spiral into overbaking. I prefer light-colored pans, such as heavy-gauge aluminum. If you are using dark pans, try reducing the oven temp by 25 degrees and, again, start checking for doneness sooner. While we’re on the topic of pans, I don’t recommend glass pans for baking. They, too, can lead to overbaking, not to mention underdone centers.

Ingredient amounts

As we often say, measuring ingredients by weight is the most accurate option for baking. If you’re only going by volume, you may be using too much flour or not enough sugar, which can both lead to dry cakes. The amount of ingredients that can fit in a measuring cup can vary not only by the baker, but also by the cup itself, as the dimensions aren’t standardized.

Insufficient creaming

Most people underdo the crucial step of creaming, which introduces air into the cake batter, and that scenario can lead to dense cakes. Ensuring the butter and eggs are at room temperature — the butter should be soft, but not too soft — is key to proper creaming, too.

Overmixing

My Post colleague Fenit Nirappil, a frequent baker, made an excellent point in response to the reader in the live chat. “In the final stage of adding flour/dry ingredients, it’s easy to keep going and … you should really stop once incorporated. A helpful tip I learned is to switch to a spatula for the last few streaks of flour and fold it into the batter.” This doesn’t just apply to cakes. You’d be well served to do the same thing whenever you’re baking cookies, quick breads or any other recipe that uses a stand or hand mixer.

Expired baking powder or soda

While many baking ingredients have a long shelf life or won’t ever really expire, that doesn’t apply to chemical leaveners, i.e. baking powder or soda. As another insightful reader chimed in, “Be sure that baking powder, if called for, has not expired. That can really make a difference.” If you’d like to verify that your leavener is still viable, it’s easy: Mix ¼ teaspoon baking powder into ½ cup very hot water, or ¼ teaspoon baking soda into ½ cup very hot water mixed with ¼ teaspoon white vinegar. If you see fine bubbles, you’re good to go.

Cakes sticking to the pan

There are few things more dramatic (and traumatic) than having your carefully baked cake refuse to come out of the pan or come out in pieces. Most cake recipes do best when the pan is greased and floured — and, depending on the shape, lined with parchment paper as well. Baking spray, which combines fat and flour, is another option. Or try making a paste of equal amounts of flour and shortening (or flour, shortening and vegetable oil) that can be spread into a thin layer on the inside of the pan. As a bonus, paying attention to the sides of the cake can help you determine when to pull it out of the oven. Many recipes for layer cakes will note that, among other cues, the cake is done when it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Picking the wrong recipe

Of course, you can set yourself up for success by choosing a good recipe from a reliable source. Here are two to get your started.

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Rainbow Sprinkle Birthday Cake

For the cake

16 tablespoons (226 grams; 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans

2½ cups (357 grams) flour

¼ cup (35 grams) cornstarch

1 teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt

2 teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder

1½ cups (324 grams) granulated sugar

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

¼ cup neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature

½ cup rainbow sprinkles, plus more for decorating

For the frosting

1 pound white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 pound plus 3 ounces cream cheese, left at room temperature for 30 minutes

12 tablespoons (170 grams; 1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and left at room temperature for 30 minutes

3 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) sour cream or crème fraîche

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper. (You can bake in batches if you have fewer pans.)

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the oil and vanilla and almond extracts. Stop to scrape down the bowl.

On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk in two or three additions, mixing until just barely incorporated.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the sprinkles until evenly distributed. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans, smoothing the surface. (The total weight of the batter is about 1,330 grams, or about 443 grams per cake pan.)

Bake (middle rack) for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (with maybe a moist crumb or two). The cake will be lightly golden brown in spots, and the edges should have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave on HIGH in 15-second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is more than three-quarters melted. Stir without further heating until the chocolate is completely fluid. Let cool until just slightly warm to the touch (80° to 85°F).

Combine the cream cheese, butter and sour cream or crème fraîche in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted/cooled white chocolate; beat on low speed to incorporate. Add the vanilla extract; beat on low to form a well-blended frosting. It should be fairly thick, yet spreadable.

To assemble the cake, place a dab of frosting in the middle of a 9- or 10-inch cardboard cake round or plate. Place one cake layer in the center, flatter side up. (You could also just place the dab of frosting and cake directly on a large plate, ideally with little or no rim.)

Use an offset spatula or spoon to spread a generous ½ cup frosting over the top of the bottom cake layer, making sure it reaches the edges. Place the next cake layer on top, also flatter side up. Repeat with another layer of frosting.

Lay the final cake layer on top. Place a small amount of frosting (at least ½ cup) in a separate bowl for the crumb coat, which is your base layer of frosting that will help seal in the crumbs and give you a smooth surface to which you can apply the rest of the frosting.

Use an offset spatula or table knife to apply the thin crumb coat all over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, to let the crumb coat set.

Transfer the cake to a cake stand or serving plate, sliding it off the cardboard cake round, if desired. Apply the remaining frosting to the cake, and decorate with more sprinkles. If the frosting on the cake gets too soft, return the cake to the refrigerator to let it firm back up for another 20 or 30 minutes.

Note: If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer and large bowl can get the job done.

Make ahead and storage: The baked cake layers can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature. The frosting keeps up to a week in the refrigerator; freeze for long-term storage. Let the frosting come to room temperature before using (at least a few hours). You may need to smooth it out with the mixer or a wooden spoon. The frosted cake can be wrapped and refrigerated overnight.

Nutrition: Calories: 670; Total Fat: 46 g; Saturated Fat: 25 g; Cholesterol: 100 mg; Sodium: 250 mg; Carbohydrates: 63 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 43 g; Protein: 7 g.

— Cake adapted from a recipe by Molly Yeh at mynameisyeh.com; frosting adapted from a recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum at kingarthurflour.com, 2019

•••

•••

Yellow Sheet Cake With Pink American Buttercream

For the cake:

¾ cup (1½ sticks; 165 grams) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan

1½ cups (165 grams) cake flour

1 cup (135 grams) all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1⅔ cups (265 grams) granulated sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 cup (240 milliliters) ice water

For the frosting:

1½ cups (3 sticks; 330 grams) unsalted butter, softened

7 cups (830 grams) confectioners' sugar

⅔ cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon white vinegar

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

A few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Pink sparkling sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Make the cake: Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with softened butter. Line the pan with parchment paper.

Using a sifter or fine-mesh strainer, sift the cake flour, all-purpose flour and baking powder into a large bowl; add the salt and whisk briefly to combine.

Place the ¾ cup butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat it on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla, and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, and then the yolks, also one at a time, stopping the mixer to scrape the bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the ice water, beginning and ending with the dry, and scraping as needed.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester comes out with a moist crumb or two, the cake bounces back when lightly pressed with your finger, and is just starting to come away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature; then run a butter knife around the edges of the cake. Flip the cake out of the pan and on to the rack, peel off and discard the parchment paper, and then invert the cake right side up onto a rectangular serving plate.

Make the frosting: Place the butter in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup (119 grams) at a time. Once about a third of the sugar (about 2⅓ cups/277 grams) is incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add about a third of the heavy cream and mix until incorporated.

Continue alternating sugar and heavy cream in this fashion, scraping with a spatula periodically, and taking time to let the mixer run in between the additions, until all the sugar and cream have been incorporated.

Add the vanilla, vinegar and salt, increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to mix until quite light and fluffy, at least 5 to 10 minutes, if not longer. Add the food coloring halfway through the mixing time, if using.

Generously frost the cooled cake with the frosting, making decorative swirls with the back of a spoon or offset spatula and sprinkling with the pink sparkling sugar, if you're feeling fancy.

Storage Notes: Leftover cake will keep at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Or freeze the frosted cake uncovered, then wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 1 month. Defrost for several hours uncovered on the counter before serving. Unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 1 month, wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Store the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate it for up to 1 week. Bring the frosting to room temperature before using and give it a quick whirl in the mixer to revive it, if necessary.

12 to 16 servings; makes one 9-by-13-inch cake

Nutrition (with half the frosting) | Calories: 450; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 14 g; Cholesterol: 130 mg; Sodium: 260 mg; Carbohydrates: 57 g; Sugars: 41 g; Protein: 4 g.

— Adapted from cookbook author Jessie Sheehan, 2020