The Messy Batter Mistake To Avoid When Baking A Cake In The Air Fryer

On a hot day, the last thing you want to do is to turn on your oven — no matter how strong your urge to bake something is. Luckily, there are many desserts you can make in your air fryer, like cake, that eliminate the need to turn on your large, clunky appliance. Baking a cake in an air fryer is almost as easy as pouring your prepared batter into a mold, shoving it into your preheated appliance, and pressing the "on" button — almost. 

When you bake a cake in your air fryer, you have to be wary of how much cake batter you're adding to the pan. If you add too much and it puffs up as it bakes, you'll risk it spilling over and creating a sweet, sticky mess. Moreover, the air fryer is designed to circulate air around the basket to ensure even cooking. If you obstruct this flow of hot air, you could be met with a lopsided cake or one cooked on one side and not the other.

Ideally, you should only fill your cake pan up about half of the way with batter. This will ensure your cake has enough space to expand and cook evenly. 

You may have to tweak your cake recipe in other ways to ensure it can be cooked in your air fryer. For one, you may want to swap out those metal tins for a silicone cake mold. You should own silicone liners for your air fryer, regardless of what you're making, because they will maximize airflow. Plus, if you realize that you didn't add enough grease or oil to your pan before you slid it into the oven, you can always gently push the edges of the flexible mold in and pop your sponge out. 

You should also make sure your cake pan is the correct dimension for your appliance; this will ensure that you don't overcrowd your basket and that your cake can fit in easily without having to be smushed down. Before you go shopping for your new cake pans, be sure they will fit comfortably in your air fryer, with room on all sides to allow the air to circulate.