Our Favorite Alternative to Toothpicks
Look at your knife set and find the one with the thinnest blade. Then insert the blade into the center of the cake. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done. If batter or crumbs stick to the blade, let your cake bake a few minutes more and retest with a clean knife.
Put your ear to it and it will sizzle and crackle as it's baking, as the steam from the liquid ingredients is being cooked out. This sound will become softer and slower as the cake gets closer to done and will be just the faintest sound when it's done.
The cake springs back
The best way to do this is to gently press on the center of the cake with a few fingers to see if it springs back. If your fingers leave little indents, your cake isn't done baking. Return it to the oven for at least 5 minutes before checking it again.
The Spruce Eats recommends inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out mostly clean and with no wet batter, you should be good to go. You can also touch the top of the cake with your fingertip: If it feels slightly springy, that's a good sign it's fully cooked, according to Bon Appétit.
Put your ear to it and you can hear it sizzle and crackle as it is baking. This is the steam from the liquid ingredients cooking out. The sound becomes softer and slower as more steam is released, and the cake is closer to being done. There will be just the faintest sound when it's done.
The usual time to bake a cake ranges from 25 minutes to an hour and is very specific to the individual cake. For example, a classic birthday cake recipe or a chocolate cake recipe will need to bake in the oven for about 25 to 35 minutes in a 350-degree oven using two or three 9-inch cake pans, respectively.
You'll just need to keep looking at the middle every few minutes to see how things are going and most would say that checking at five-minute intervals is a good idea. Once you have a toothpick or butter knife coming out clean when you stick the middle of the cake, you'll know that it's done.
Signs of an Undercooked Cake
If you've taken the cake out of the oven and left it to cool and it sinks in the middle, that's usually a sign that the cake is undercooked. A slight dip in the middle doesn't necessarily mean the cake isn't cooked, but a big dip is a pretty big sign.
The perfect cake is moist and fluffy, which makes for a very delicious crumb. When overcooked, a cake will come out hard and dry, and when undercooked, it has a gummy and dense texture.
Why is my cake wet in the middle? When a cake is wet in the middle it is because the edges have cooked faster than the centre. This happens because of the way the cake cooks naturally in the tin – the sides of the cake tin heat up first.
It is not a good idea to eat undercooked cake, no matter how tempting it may be. ... In the case of raw cake batter, eggs and flour come with health risks. Raw eggs are risky because of the chance of salmonella infection.
If your cake is bouncy/springy when you gently press down on it with your finger, it is likely that your cake is ready to be taken out of the oven. A wobbly or firm middle that doesn't bounce back is a sign that the cake needs more baking time.
Use a cake tester
If the toothpick comes out totally clean, your cake might be overcooked. Try to take your cake out and test it a few minutes before the prescribed baking time is up, to make sure you don't overdo it. Again, make sure you read your recipe to determine what the cake tester should look like.
If you're using a recipe, it will usually say. Otherwise, give it 10–15 minutes. It's still baking when you take it out of the oven; if you mess with it now, it'll be underbaked. There's this concept called thermal moment, which is thankfully pretty self-explanatory, so that's all I'm gonna say about it.
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.
Avoid checking the temperature too early, which can interfere with the cake's leavening (and of course let too much heat escape your oven). Instead, several minutes before the recipe's baking time is up, turn on your oven light and take a peek at your cake through the door.
If your cake was cooked to the proper temperature, chances are it is still edible even if it sunk in the center. Check that it's baked through the middle, then try a small piece of your cake. It might not taste good if the ingredient measurements were off. Notice the texture to make sure it's not too dense or spongy.
Make sure you follow the recipe's instructions carefully. Cakes typically bake between 325 to 450 degrees F (see chart with Tip #9). Most convection ovens require lowering the temperature by 25 to 50 degrees F, as well as turning off the fan.
If you are using an electric oven, cook at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Try one of two methods to test the cake:
The implement method: Take a fork, a cocktail stick, a skewer or a toothpick. Use one of these items to poke the top of the cake slightly in the middle. The hand method: Take your hand and spread it out. Palm face down, gently press your clean hand on the top of the cake.