I had the very same problem. We had dinner guests and that was what everyone was waiting for because it looked so beautiful. We couldn’t cut a slice without it just crumbling on to the plate and all over the table. Some tasted it but most of it went in the trash. I was so disappointed.

I wouldn’t recommend that substitution. I’m not sure how it would work. Is your toothpick coming out completely clean? If so it’s probably over-baking slightly. Another thing that could cause issues is potentially over-mixing the batter. I’m sorry I don’t have any more tips for you. 🙁

hi Sam, thank you for publishing this recipe! overall the cake is great but I’m getting a dry cake. It’s not overbaked so I’m wondering if replacing the buttermilk with sour cream and adding back buttermilk powder for the flavor would help. I’m probably just being picky but I want to adore this and in my oven at my skill level, I’m just not in love yet. Have you noticed it’s a little dry? have you ever tried adding sour cream? thank you for your help!

Hi Brooke! You can make this into cupcakes. They will take about 17 minutes to bake and you will probably end up with somewhere around 30 of them. 🙂

Hi Jasmine! This will probably fill a bit more than 1 4 inch pan. Make sure you don’t overfill the pan. It will take less time in the oven. 🙂

Hi I want to make this for my mom’s 60th birthday I want to try to make a two layer cake. I want to make this as my top cake using a 4” pan. Do I need to make any modifications? Do I have to keep it longer in the oven or less?

Hi Courtney! I’m glad you enjoyed it overall. Is it possible the cakes may have been slightly over-baked causing them to be a little crumbly?

Hi Tammy, I’ve just made this cake and it’s resting to cool as I write this and reading you comment wondering if it’s possible that your oven was set to 350 degrees Celsius instead of 175 celsius? I know the temperature for both F and C are indicated but this could be an easy mistake

This cake was absolutely delicious, and can appreciate that you wanted to respectfully provide honest feedback. I made this recipe exactly as written and the textures looked exactly the same as the video throughout the baking process, but I also found the texture to be crumblier and messier than I prefer. It still tasted great and did not think it was dry, so not sure what could have happened. But like I said, it still tasted great and we ate it! Thanks for the recipe and introducing the new-to-me reverse creaming method.

🤣 Sounds like you have as much self control as we do! So glad it was such a hit, Elizabeth!

Hi Tammy! How frustrating. The added egg would have negatively affected the texture, but I don’t think that was the biggest issue. I have a few possibilities as to what might have gone wrong:
1) Were any other substitutions/changes made in addition to the extra eggs used?
2) Was the flour measured properly? Using a scale is best. If not using a scale, follow my guide for measuring flour properly. Never scoop the flour directly into the cup or you will end up with too much.
3) Is your oven running hotter than indicated, or were the cakes baked on the upper rack rather than the center rack? A crumbly cake is often the result of #2 above or over-baking, however you indicate you actually baked the cakes for 5 minutes LESS time than indicated, so I’m wondering if your oven could be running hot and over-baking the cakes. Over-baking will take a cake from soft and plush to cornbread-crumbly in a hurry.
These would be my best guesses. If you take a peek at the video you can see how the texture ought to be when you cut into it, it’s soft and plush and definitely shouldn’t be dry.
I haven’t personally experienced what you are describing and I took a look through my comments and no one else has reported having this issue either so I do think the recipe is fine but would love to help you get the results that you see on my page!

You could leave the coconut out. 🙂

I don’t like coconut. Is there a replacement or can I just leave it out?

I really thought that was genius and everyone should follow your example of recipe writing ❤️