Baking mistakes happen all the time in kitchens. The bread did not rise, the chocolate seized up, or the soft sugar cookies came out rock hard. There are many reasons why something did not come out perfectly. Here, I answer the top 5 most common baking mistake questions.

Baking Mistake Questions: Answered

• My cake came out underdone in the middle when I cooled it. Can I re-bake it?
  • Simply: NO. You can’t rebake something. Putting an underdone cake back in the oven will only make the outside of the cake more ‘done’ AKA crusty. Your best bet is to start over
  • Cause: Not baking long enough or the oven temp is way toooo high
  • Tip: Cut up the bread into bite-size pieces and put them on a cookie tray. THEN! The small pieces will eventually get cooked. Make a delicious bread pudding from it. Next time, insert a toothpick or paring knife in the middle of the cake. Once it comes out clean, the inside is done.

• I was making homemade caramel sauce and it crystallized. Can I save it?
  • Simply: NO. You can save sugar the has been…well, overheated and cooked.
  • Cause: Little pieces of debris in the sugar and/or equipment. Moving the saucepan around when the sugar is cooking.
  • Tip: Add an acid (corn syrup or lemon juice) to the mixture…just a bit! (Think 1-2 teaspoons). Use a super clean saucepot. Brush down the sides of the saucepot with water, using a heat-safe pastry brush, while the sugar is cooking.

• I over whipped my homemade whipped cream. What can I do?
  • Simply: Yes! Add more heavy cream (about 2 tablespoons) to it. Whip it again, either by hand or with a mixer. Slowly, it will form soft peaks.
  • Causes: Whipping too fast and not paying attention
  • Tip: Keep your eye on the mixer and whipping cream!

• Butter is leaking out of my baked good. What did I do?
  • Simply: Too much butter, or other fat, was added. Whatever fat (oil or butter) was used….it was used wayyyy too much. In this case, your goodie still edible…it will just be slightly greasy.
  • Causes: Maybe the recipe was written or calculated wrong. Or accidentally, the wrong amount was measured out
  • Tip: Toss that recipe away and find a new one. Or, make sure you are measuring the ingredient correctly

• The bottom of my baked good is super dark. What happened?
  • Simply: To save this, you can cut with the dark bottom off and still enjoy it. But…if it is burnt, toss it out
  • Causes: Dark baking pans were used. Baked too long. Baked at a too high of a temperature
  • Tip: Use lighter color baking pans, especially light-colored cookie sheets. Shorten your baking time and reduce your oven temp. If your oven is set to the right temperature, the oven may need to be calibrated (check your oven’s manufacturer’s recommendation steps on how to do this).

All bakers, from beginner to pro, will make mistakes. The best way from preventing future baking mistakes is to update your recipe with any adjustments.

I like to keep all of my recipes on my Google Drive and write simple notes, on the recipe document, if a recipe needs to be adjusted.

Keep on baking and learning. Learn how to Tackle Holiday Baking and 5 Baking Skills to Master from a Pro.