Filling Your Cake’s Pockets

• Every cake should have pockets, and plenty of them -- air pockets, that is. When you mix cake batter, it develops tiny air bubbles throughout. As the cake bakes, those air bubbles slowly expand, making the cake rise and grow fluffy. In high-altitude areas with lower air pressure, though, the gas inside those pockets doesn’t meet sufficient resistance and can expand out of control. This makes the cake rise faster, but it can also make the pockets grow too large and collapse, making the cake fall.

Keeping It Moist

• At a high altitude with less air, water boils and evaporates faster. While a cake typically locks in moisture for a fresh, soft and moist texture, it may not be able to do so at high altitudes. The moisture in the cake evaporates too quickly, before the cake can set and lock it in. This leaves the cake crumbly and dry.

Managing the Sugar

• When a lack of air pressure sucks the moisture out of your cake, the ingredients left behind -- most notably sugars -- become more concentrated. Because the sugars in your cake batter are more concentrated, your cake becomes sticky and coarse, if it even sets. You’re just as likely to be left with a dense, flat, sticky and dry mess.

Avoiding Air Problems

• Because air is so critical to properly baking a cake, if you’re whipping up a dessert at a high altitude, you may need to adjust the recipe. Adding extra liquid, like extra eggs, can compensate for the increased rate of evaporation. Baking your cake at a higher temperature can help ensure that it sets before the liquid can evaporate and the air pockets can grow too large. Even decreasing the amount of sugar can help, as this stops it from becoming too concentrated and compromising the cake’s texture.