Why Is My Cake Still Wet in the Middle After 1 Hour? Common Causes and Solutions

If your cake is still wet in the middle after an hour, yeah, that’s frustrating. It usually means it didn’t cook all the way through.

This can happen if the oven temperature’s too low, you didn’t bake it long enough, or heat isn’t moving around the oven evenly.

You might also have used the wrong pan size. Or maybe you forgot to preheat the oven.

Sometimes, swapping ingredients like baking soda for baking powder can mess with how the cake sets.

Top Reasons Your Cake Is Still Wet After Baking

A cake that’s still gooey inside after an hour in the oven usually means something went wrong. It might be your oven temp, how you mixed the batter, your pan, or even too much liquid in the recipe.

Incorrect Oven Temperature

If your oven’s too cool, the cake just drags on and never bakes through. Ovens aren’t always as accurate as we’d like, so it’s smart to use an oven thermometer.

When you bake at a lower temp than your recipe says, the outside can look done while the inside stays raw. But if you crank the heat too high, the outside burns and the middle still doesn’t set.

Try adjusting the temperature and bake a bit longer if needed. Double-check your oven’s calibration if you keep having this problem.

Undermixing or Overmixing Batter

Mixing the batter the wrong way can leave you with a wet center. If you don’t mix enough, you’ll get weird pockets of flour or liquid that just won’t bake.

But if you go overboard and mix too much, you end up with too much air and tough gluten. The cake gets dense, and heat doesn’t move through like it should.

Just mix until everything’s combined and smooth. Don’t stress about a few lumps, but don’t leave streaks of flour either.

Wrong Pan Size or Type

Using a pan that’s too big or too small can totally change how your cake bakes. If the pan’s too big, the batter spreads thin and might burn on the edges while the thick spots stay wet.

A pan that’s too small keeps the batter piled up, so the middle takes forever to cook. Metal pans heat up faster than glass or silicone, too.

Glass pans usually bake slower, so you might need to leave the cake in longer or tweak the temp. Stick to the pan size and type your recipe suggests.

Too Much Liquid in the Recipe

When there’s too much liquid in your batter, the cake just won’t set right. Maybe you measured something wrong, or changed the recipe without cutting back on the wet stuff.

Extra liquid makes cakes dense and keeps them wet inside, even after an hour. Water slows down the cooking, so it takes longer for the center to bake.

Measure ingredients carefully and try not to swap in too many wet components. If you’re struggling, bake longer at a low temp to help dry out the middle. There’s more on this at decoratedtreats.com.

Best Solutions to Prevent a Wet Cake Center

To avoid a wet cake center, pay attention to baking time and temperature. Testing for doneness the right way and balancing your ingredients really matters.

Adjusting Baking Time and Temperature

If your cake’s still wet in the middle after an hour, your oven might be too hot. High heat cooks the outside too fast and leaves the inside raw.

Lower the oven by about 25°F (15°C) and let it bake longer. Try moving the cake to a lower rack so the heat gets to the bottom and middle better.

Don’t open the oven door too much—it drops the temp and messes with the bake. For dense cakes, go for a longer time at moderate heat.

If a recipe says 45 minutes, sometimes 60 minutes at a slightly lower temp does the trick. That way, the middle cooks through and the edges don’t burn.

Testing Cake Doneness Properly

Don’t just trust the timer. Try these:

• Stick a toothpick or skewer in the center. You want it to come out clean or with a few crumbs—not wet batter.
• Press the top gently. If it springs back, you’re good. If it leaves a dent, it needs more time.
• Look for the cake pulling away a bit from the pan sides.

If the cake’s still wet after the recommended time, keep baking in 5-10 minute bursts. Keep checking until it passes the tests.

Optimizing Ingredient Ratios

An off-balance mix of wet and dry ingredients usually leaves you with a soggy cake center. If your batter turns out too runny, the cake just doesn’t set up right inside.

Here’s what you can do:

• Measure liquids like milk, water, or eggs with care.
• Stick to the right amount of flour and dry ingredients. Extra flour or mix can really help soak up that unwanted moisture.
• If you want to toss in fruit or sour cream, don’t go wild unless you tweak the other ingredients to match.

Pan size matters more than you might think. Deep pans hold extra batter, which tends to stay gooey in the middle unless you bake longer or lower the heat.

If you want to dig deeper, this guide on cake wetness has some handy tips.