Why You Might Want To Drop Your Cake Right After It Comes Out Of The Oven

There are many different types of cake out there worth both making yourself and trying. It might be a good idea to put chiffon cake at the top of the list for its impressively airy, light texture, which stems from the use of stiffly beaten egg whites and oil, setting it apart from denser sponges. As such, it needs a little extra attention to ensure that it retains its texture.

Celebrity cake artist Kristina Lavallee, aka The Cake Girl, shares that chiffon cakes specifically need to have their steam removed after baking to prevent collapse. She suggests the drastic-sounding move of dropping the cake — between 6 and 12 inches off the counter — to release that trapped hot air in a burst. "If the steam just sits in the case it will collapse the structure as it cools, so it is important to release some of the built up steam right away and give the cake a chance to set before it starts to shrink," she says. Lavallee emphasizes the importance of a controlled drop (meaning, don't slam it down WWE-style) and recommends flipping the pan upside down after dropping. "The reason for this step is to [prevent] it from collapsing under its own weight while it sets," she says. If you follow all of these instructions to a tee, you should be left with a pillowy, airy chiffon cake just waiting for its dusting of powdered sugar. 

There are some other cakes that the dropping technique will work on, such as foam-based cakes — think angel food cake, sponge cake, and genoise sponge. Besides dropping your foam-based cake, there are other tips that you should keep in mind to ensure that your recipe comes out perfect. If you're making angel food cake, for example, you'll want to add cream of tartar to your egg whites to help stabilize them and encourage them to retain air. In some instances, you may also want to use an ungreased tube-shaped pan, which maximizes the amount of air that can circulate around the cake and helps the cake climb to its signature lofty height. 

However, as fun as it is to drop your cake onto the counter on purpose, the dropping hack doesn't work for most standard types of cake. Carrot cake, for example, is very dense and isn't dependent on egg whites for its rise. It doesn't really need to have any of its steam removed, as you want it to stay moist and for that steam to condense. While you can probably drop it on the counter for giggles, the only thing you'll have to contend with is the risk of it breaking. Hot cakes are very fragile, which is why it's recommended to cool your cake completely before trimming it or handling it.