Air fryers. The humble countertop gadget that once played second fiddle to deep fryers, quietly crisping up a batch of last night's chips, has somehow found its way into the world of baking. Brownies, cookies, millionaire shortbread, literally anything can be air fried. But can cake be air fried too?

If you'd told me five years ago that people would be swapping their ovens for a compact, fan-driven fryer to make cake, I’d have raised an eyebrow and clutched my springform tin a little tighter. But here we are. TikTok and Instagram are flooded with videos of golden, lofty sponges emerging from air fryer baskets, home bakers breathless with shock, promising they’ll never use an oven again. Major supermarkets have caught on, launching air-fryer-friendly cake mixes, and brands are selling accessories tailored for these tiny convection ovens. And fans of our cult favourite Hero Sponge Recipe have also given it the air fryer treatment.

So, does it work? Can an air fryer actually produce a cake that’s light, fluffy AND delicious? The answer is yes, but with a few caveats. Like any good magic trick, it requires a little finesse, some well-placed foil, and an understanding of how air frying differs from traditional baking.

The Science of Air Fryer Baking

Baking is alchemy. A transformation where heat, moisture, and a delicate balance of fat, flour, and sugar turn into something magical. The air fryer, however, approaches this process with all the subtlety of a wind tunnel.

Unlike a traditional oven, which uses radiant heat to gently bake your cake from the outside in, the air fryer blasts hot air around the batter at high speed, accelerating cooking times but also making things more unpredictable.

How Air Fryers Differ from Ovens

• Speed: Cakes bake 25-30% faster because of the compact cooking space and intense airflow.
• Crispier Tops: That blast of hot air caramelises sugars rapidly, creating a firmer, golden-brown crust.
• Moisture Loss: The same powerful airflow that gives a cake its rise can also dry it out if adjustments aren’t made.

Essentially, an air fryer is eager, efficient, but in desperate need of supervision.

The Art of Air Fryer Cake Baking: Challenges and Fixes

Air fryers can produce exceptional cakes, but they come with their quirks. A perfect bake requires some adaptation.

• Dry Cakes:
  • Increase the fat content - an extra tablespoon or two of butter or oil helps lock in moisture.
  • Add moisture-enhancing ingredients like yogurt or buttermilk.
  • Reduce baking time by checking for doneness 5-10 minutes earlier than a standard oven recipe.
  • Place a small dish of water in the basket to help prevent excessive moisture loss.
• Over-Browning:
  • Lower the temperature by 15°C - air fryers run hotter than ovens.
  • Halfway through baking, tent the cake with foil to shield it from direct heat.
  • If available, use the "bake" setting, which moderates airflow intensity.
• Uneven Baking:
  • Rotate the cake pan 180° halfway through baking.
  • Preheat the air fryer for at least 3 minutes before adding the batter.
  • Don’t overfill the basket - air circulation is key.

Advanced Baking Tips

Small tweaks can turn a good air fryer cake into a spectacular one.

• Pick the Right Tin:
  • A 6-inch pan fits most air fryers and ensures even cooking.
  • Choose a light-coloured metal or silicone pan - dark tins absorb more heat, risking burnt edges.
• Modify Recipes for Air Frying:
  • Reduce the temperature by 15°C and the baking time by 20-25% compared to oven recipes.
  • For larger cakes, divide the batter and bake in smaller batches.
• Enhance Texture:
  • Add sour cream or mashed bananas for a richer, softer crumb.
  • Experiment with fillings - air fryers create a beautifully crisp top layer, perfect for jam or caramel drizzles.

The Bigger Picture: Why Air Fryer Baking is Trending

We’ve entered an age of convenience baking. The air fryer taps into modern life’s biggest culinary trends: speed, efficiency, and multi-functionality. It’s perfect for those moments when you want a cake now - no need to preheat a large oven or wait 45 minutes for a sponge to bake.

On social media, air fryer baking has gone viral. Home bakers share clips of impossibly golden cakes emerging from compact fryers, supermarket shelves are lined with air-fryer-ready baking mixes, and brands are competing to develop the best accessories.

And it’s not just the home cooks jumping on board - restaurants are quietly experimenting too. A well-known London café recently switched to air fryers for their miniature loaf cakes, drawn in by their energy efficiency and ability to create a consistently crisp crust.

The Final Verdict

So, should you abandon your oven in favour of an air fryer? Not quite. If you’re dreaming of a towering, multi-layered showstopper, the air fryer’s small basket won’t cut it. But for quick bakes - banana bread, mini cheesecakes, single-layer sponges - it’s fantastic.

It’s fast, energy-efficient, and, with a little tweaking, capable of producing a cake so good it might just make you question your loyalty to the oven.