What makes a cake crumbly?

ange164, Dec 7, 7:20pm
I have a spice cake recipe and it tastes great and is beautifully soft with a fine texture and moist also. BUT it's a bit on the crumbly side - what would you suggest! Accept it for what it is! or make a change somewhere!

Otumoetai college rowing cookbook 2003. "Favourite recipes. "
Home made spice cake.
187g butter (3/4 cup)
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c raisins
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t cinnamon
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 c sour milkSoured with 2 T vinigar.

Cream together butter, brown sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in raisins, salt and spices. Add half the flour. Blend in baking soda and milk. Stir in remaining flour and baking powder. Pour batter into buttered 8 inch round layer pans or 7"x12" baking dish (I did mine in 20cm square) Bake in a preheated oven at 190 for 25 mins or until top springs back when touched.

cappucino1, Dec 7, 8:48pm
Several things could cause it.Do you use fan bake!This can dry out the cake, so if you your oven has the option, try baking it without the fan.

Too much baking powder can also make a cake crumbly- so with this recipe that uses baking powder and baking soda, you could try cutting the baking powder down to 1 teaspoon.

Also, if the recipe originally used cake flour and over time it has been adapted to use all purpose flour (not saying the change has been made by you), then the flour measurements might no longer work.Try reducing the amount of flour by 1 Tablespoon for every cup.

Edited to add that mixing is another thing that can cause the cake to be crumbly.With a recipe that calls for the butter and sugar to be creamed- make sure that they are WELL creamed before going to the next step.

elliehen, Dec 7, 8:49pm
Until an expert cake baker comes along, you might like to read some suggestions on this cooking forum:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0413453113885.html

ange164, Dec 7, 9:37pm
Thanks both of you. I'll give it some consideration and trial. In the mean time, it's still a great cake, I made one Thursday and there's only 1/4 of it left. My bottom will surely spread at this rate! (I did give a *little* of it away. The cake, not my bottom.)

davidt4, Dec 7, 10:27pm
I would add another egg, and use large eggs.That will hold it together.

punkinthefirst, Dec 7, 11:28pm
I'd try this, too.

ange164, Dec 7, 11:49pm
that could be a factor too. I use mum's eggs from cross-bred chickens and they're smaller than a #6 regular egg.

cappucino1, Dec 8, 12:55am
Add extra egg if you think that the eggs you are using are not making up the required quantity of egg in the recipe- but I would be careful not to add too much egg.The proteins in eggs bind the mix together but the flipside off this is that too much will over bind it and make the cake tough.

cookessentials, Dec 9, 12:15am
Usually not enough butter ( or fat)