Troubleshooting: High Altitude

Changes in the way cakes bake usually begin at altitudes over 3,000 feet/914 meters due to the decrease in air pressure. This lower air pressure causes water to boil at a lower temperature, resulting in more evaporation during baking and drier cakes. If the batter is drier, it will not have the ability to gelatinize the starch fully, a step that is necessary to set the structure. The structure is compromised further by decreased air pressure: The cakes rise too much, the structure can’t support the rise, and the cakes collapse.