Cracks on Cake

[magyar]

I am very new to baking.
I baked two cherry pound cakes and they both had huge crack on top.
Is this normal or did I do something wrong.
I baked the pound cakes in loaf pans.

[panini]

You did nothing wrong. It just has to expand. For a better look, use some margarine or sorts and pipe a line down the middle and this will let yout cake expand symmetrically.

[Headless Chicken]

Cracks are hard to avoid as its part of the natural expansion and rising of the cake. If you find it unsightly, cover with buttercream or icing. We usually cut it off to level the cake, we use all the scraps to make rum balls.

[magkcbw]

I don't know this as fact, but I've heard putting a dish of water in the oven will keep the cake hydrated and it will keep it from cracking.

cb

[ChefAshley]

Iheard that too!. it makes the cake stay moist, so it doesnt crack

Ashley

[panini]

I've heard that before. Usually not enough room in my ovens for that, plus I don't understand the actual effect. A good bake, the cake should roll on you.
Keep in mine the quality of ingredients you use also. The crust of the cake is usually most of the impurities that float to the top, like raw sugars, bug part and such. It's usually sweeter and the kids love it.

[momoreg]

Yes, the bug parts make it especially tasty!

Sometimes, if you switch from convection to conventional, the whole shape of your cake can change. Also, the temperature or location of the cake in your oven can affect the shape (too fast a rise can cause it to crack, so consider dropping the temp. a bit). Also, too much leavener can cause cracking.

[chefbrian]

"The crust of the cake is usually most of the impurities that float to the top, like raw sugars, bug part and such"? I'm not disputing your statement, panini, but where the heck did you dig up that piece of information?

By the way, the accepted filth level for chocolate by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration is an average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments.

You can all the exciting details for chocolate, and most other foods, at: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html#CHPTA