Nobody likes dry cake, so I'm sharing my best tips and tricks with you! There are some easy ways you can prevent the problem, and I'll even show you how to fix a dry cake. You won't believe how easy it is to create tender and moist cakes!
When baking a cake, it can be a challenge to make it moist and balanced in flavor and texture. Baking is a science, so to be successful requires using the right ingredients, and the right amount of each.
Having a dry (or gummy) cake can ruin the dessert, wasting time and ingredients. It is just a total bummer!
Top 3 Reasons for Dry Cake
There are many steps along the baking process that can lead to the dessert drying out. Chances are, you might not even realize what you’ve been doing wrong.
- Improperly measuring the ingredients. One of the most common reasons for an overly dry cake is that it has too much flour, or an improper balance of wet and dry ingredients.
- The oven is too hot. The correct oven temperature for most baked goods is between 350°F. and 375°F. (177°C. and 191°C.). Of course, this can vary depending on the recipe.
- Using an untested recipe. These days, many people see beautiful food photos on social media sites, and they think it must be a tested recipe because it's so pretty. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.
How to Prevent Dry Cake
Now that you know why your cake might be dry, here are some ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Get your recipes from a trusted source.
I can assure you, the recipes here on Tasty Treats and Eats are kitchen tested. The same goes for my recipes on my other recipe site, The Clean Eating Couple.
There are plenty of other trustworthy sources, too, including Sally's Baking Addiction.
Measure the ingredients properly, especially the flour!
To measure ingredients properly, you need to use the right kitchen tools for the job. For example, do you know that there are different types of measuring cups? One type is specifically for measuring liquid ingredients and another for dry ingredients.
Also, never scoop flour into your measuring cup! If you do, you will be using too much flour, which is going to give you a dry cake. Always spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then use the flat side of a butter knife or another straight edge to scrape the excess flour out of the cup.
Include high-fat dairy ingredients whenever possible.
Many of my cake recipes include an ingredient like sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese. High fat liquids create add moisture to a cake!
Follow the recipe exactly as written.
Follow the mixing instructions exactly as written on the cake recipe. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until there are no visible streaks of flour. Overmixing your ingredients (or not mixing them in the right order) can make your cake dry out, because you are adding too much air to the batter.
Set a kitchen timer to prevent over baking.
Overbaking a cake will dry it out. Make sure to check the recipe’s instructions, and follow the baking time. Keep a close eye on the cake, checking it for doneness 1-2 minutes before the bake time is up.
How to check cake for doneness
To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is time to remove the dessert from the oven.
Rotate the pans during baking.
If you are making a traditional sheet cake like this moist white cake, rotate the pan 180 degrees when it is two-thirds through the baking time. This will help prevent the top from collapsing.
If you are baking two cakes at the same time, this is the time to also rotate which rack they are baking on.
Cool the cake completely before slicing it.
Yes, almost everyone loves biting into a slice of chocolate cake while it's still warm. The problem is, as the steam escapes, your cake is losing moisture. Allow it to cool before you slice it.
How To Fix a Dry Cake
So, you have a cake that's too dry? Here are some easy ways to add moisture to a dry cake:
- Brush it with simple syrup.
Brushing your cake layers with simple syrup can prevent your cake from becoming dry and keep it moist for days. Simple syrup (sometimes called a cake soak) will keep the cake moist through every stage of assembly, while also adding a sweet flavor.
Simple syrup is nothing more than a 1:1 ratio of granulated white sugar and water. Bring the two ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over high heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. You can also add different flavors to your simple syrup such as fruits, caramel, chocolate, etc.
After removing your cake from the oven, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Turn it out of the pan and set it on a serving platter or sheet of parchment paper. Use a basting brush to apply the simple syrup mixture, then wrap the layer(s) tightly in plastic and chill in the fridge for a few hours. This helps to seal moisture into the cake.
- Top it with frosting, glaze or ganache.
There are a few great options. You can cover the cake with a simple buttercream frosting, homemade cream cheese frosting, or chocolate ganache. If you're making a bundt cake, powdered sugar glaze is another great way to keep the cake moist.
What To Do With Dry Cake
If you don't have time to add moisture to the cake itself, that's not a problem! You can just serve it with some moist ingredients.
- Parfaits: Layer pieces of cake, pudding, and whipped cream into dessert glasses.
- Cake balls or cake pops
- Trifle: Similar to a parfait, except that the ingredients are layered into a large serving bowl.
Jacquelyn
your "no chill sugar".cookies were awesome 👍