A Study of Cake
In 1988, an article was written in the journal Physics in Technology
studying what exactly went on in a cake as it was being baked, and why
the tops of cakes came out rounded. The interior was observed by
cutting the cake in half and fitting the side of the cake with a
plastic window. Observations showed that first the top layer becomes
dehydrated, which would later form the crust of the cake. In some
cakes, batter did not move and was cooked from the outer layer to the
center. In other cakes the batter was observed to be moving in
convection currents, where hot batter would rise to the surface, being
replaced by colder batter sinking to the bottom. The rising of cakes
was also measured, and it was found that cakes cooked in non-convection
ovens rose little and uniformly, while cakes in convection ovens rose
more at erratic rates. This is thought to be because the convection
oven transfers heat more efficiently. One of the concluding points of
this experiment was that in order to prevent cakes from collapsing
while cooling, air was had to be allowed to flow through it, and that
the most porous cakes were least likely to collapse.
Here is a drawing of movement observed in a cake. This was done
by layering dyed batter on top of undyed batter. Here you can see
the flow patterns as the cake is being baked.
Return to beginning