The Best Temperature To Use When Baking A Cake In The Air Fryer

Air fryers are very useful appliances and making desserts in them, including cakes, is easier than you may think. This small, tabletop appliance eliminates the need to turn on your clunky oven and will still deliver delicious, perfectly-baked results — provided that you set and use it correctly.

When baking a cake in an air fryer using a recipe designed for a conventional oven, you'll want to dial back on the temperature slightly. You can safely drop the temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit and set your timer about one-fifth of the time less than what's listed on the recipe. For example, if your recipe calls for a cake to be baked at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, you should set your air-fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the cake for about 45 minutes. The time your cake needs to bake is a little less set in stone than the decrease in temperature, as different types of cakes bake at different rates, so you'll want to keep an eye on it as it is baking to prevent it from getting too brown. 

While this "rule" might give you a better idea about how long and how hot to bake your cake, you should also be keeping a watchful eye on it to prevent it from coming out over or under-baked. There are several methods you can utilize to determine if your cake is done or not. Home bakers should always have wooden toothpicks on hand to check the moistness of the sponge. While metal cake testers are very aesthetic and pretty to look at, the wet crumb won't stick to the metal, which means you won't get an accurate assessment of the doneness of your cake. Instead, you'll want to open the air fryer basket and shove a toothpick in. It should come out clean, or with a couple of crumbs sticking to it. 

You can also take the internal temperature of the cake. Most cakes are finished baking between 205 degrees Fahrenheit and 215 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this method has one major drawback: It will leave a giant hole where you stick the probe in. Luckily, there are other visual cues you can rely on — like the edges of the cake pulling away from the pan, a firm texture, and a fragrant aroma — that won't require you to mess up a perfectly baked sponge.