What To Do If You've Undercooked Your Cake

Imagine a cozy day in your kitchen, a perfect day for baking a cake. Maybe you're whipping up your favorite birthday cake recipe for a relative's special day. Maybe you've been dying to try out a decadent chocolate cake recipe. Or, perhaps, you just really enjoy baking.

So you mix all your ingredients together, coat your cake pan, pour in that luxurious batter, and place it in the oven to bake. While you wait, you decide to watch an episode of "The Great British Baking Show" on Netflix. You know, so you can pretend to be part of the fun competition.

Eventually, the time comes to remove your cake from the oven. However, to your horror, your cake is a bit soupy and not at all appetizing looking. Do you throw it away and start over? Do you sprinkle some fairy dust on it and make a wish? Do you put the cake back in the oven and hope for the best? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

First, if your oven presents you with an undercooked cake, do not eat it. Per Healthdigest, consuming undercooked eggs is a one-way ticket to foodborne illness. That being said, you don't need to throw out the cake and start over, either.

According to FOODSGUY, there are several options available to you. For a cake that is fairly evenly undercooked, simply put it back in the oven for 10 or so minutes. For a cake that is undercooked only in the middle, get out your handy dandy aluminum foil, cover the cake, and place it back in the oven for about 10 minutes. You can use the same technique for an undercooked bottom, but turn off your oven's upper heat to prevent overcooking the top of the cake.

Per Baking How, an undercooked cake can be the result of insufficient baking time, incorrect oven temperature, narrow pans, off-center placement in the oven, or even too much baking powder. Regardless, an undercooked cake can be fixed.