Pound cakes often have cracked tops because the batter is so dense. The exterior of the cake cooks first, which can cause the batter to rise up and crack in the center. How to prevent a crack: If you really can't stand cracks, bake the cake in a tube pan, rather than a loaf pan.
For cake that is already frosted, wrap well in cling film, either whole or by the slice, and place in an airtight plastic container or airtight resealable bag. This will prevent it from absorbing flavours from the freezer. You can also wrap a foil layer around the cling film to protect the cakes.
The short answer is it hasn't baked long enough. Heat from the oven moves from the outer edges to the center, from all directions. Your oven may be too cool or you may have used a pan that's too small or the shape not called for (a loaf pan instead of a layer-cake pan.) Whatever the cause, the cure is longer baking.
Cakes sometimes develop a hard, dark crust around the edges, where the batter was in contact with the pan. The dark edges are usually dry and overcooked, and leave your cake unattractive and less pleasing on the palate. Prevent this hard crust by making some changes to how you bake your cakes.
If you use too many eggs you will have a souffle. If you over bake that souffle you will have something more like sweet ciabatta bread than a cake. Eggs are a binder and leavening agent at the same time and they will cook hard making a very crisp textured crumb. If you use too many eggs you will have a souffle.
When you cream the butter and sugar together make sure the butter is at room temperature, the mixture can hold more air then. Also cream for a sufficient amount of time, so your mixture is light coloured and fluffy.
Buttermilk has a high acidic content which breaks down the gluten in flour, thus making cakes softer. If you are going to use buttermilk in a recipe which does not include baking soda, consider adding a little bit of baking soda to the recipe.
But don't worry, your cake and cookies are perfectly fine to eat once they are cooked as the cooking process kills the bacteria. Most people already know the dangers of eating raw cake mix because it contains raw eggs, which increases the risk of salmonella.
My cake is too brown
You can always cover the top of the cake with tin foil if it is starting to look a little bit too brown. It could also be because there is too much sugar in the recipe. Likewise, if your cake isn't brown enough it is likely because it is under-cooked or the recipe used insufficient egg or sugar.Add the cake batter to the pans and smack them down on the counter a few times. This will eliminate any air bubbles. Put it in the oven and bake away. What's happening here is that the moisture from towel is helping the cake bake more evenly, resulting in an even rise and a cake with a flat top.
If your cake is cooked around the outside but not in the inside then pop it back into the oven and cover tightly in tin foil. The tin foil will trap the heat and help to cook the inside of your cake. Bake for another 10-15 mins checking after 5-7 mins to make sure it's working.
There are other reasons why a cake might seem wet. Things like adding too much wet ingredients and insufficient dry ingredients or subsituting ingredients in the given recipe eg oil for butter or adding fruit purees and buttermilk/sourcream/yougurt. You don't appear to have done anything out of the ordinary.
Too Little or Too Much Moisture
If your cake isn't moist enough, it can sink in the center. This happens most often in humid climates, where extra moisture can collect naturally in ingredients like flour. It causes cakes to rise quickly and then crater during the baking process.more batter can = dome. lower oven temp can = flater (higher oven temp can give a dome, some people preheat the oven higher, then turn down for baking), and some recipes just seem to dome or flat. i would imagine when cutting the cupcake, ur holding/ moving the liner, which is probably why its falling off.
When a pan is over greased the crust can literally fry and if flour is used it can burn, forming a dark hard crust on a finished cake. As the cake cools the crust becomes hard and dry. Hard crust on cupcakes can be caused by over baking. Sometimes even the type of flour or butter can give similar results.
Whisking butter and sugar together is one essential tip to make the cake spongy, fluffy and moist. Whisk butter and sugar for long until the mixture becomes pale yellow and fluffy because of incorporation of air. The process is known as creaming.
