how to make a moist cake
How to Make a Moist Cake
Even though baking a cake is not a difficult task, making it in such a way that it remains moist and flavorful does require practice and patience. Here are a few suggestions on how to make a perfect moist cake.
We all know how simple it is to bake a cake, whether you bake it from scratch at home or use a premixed cake product. But baking a cake that retains its moisture and remains soft on the inside is a skill that must be learned with time. A cake may taste good, but if it's crumbly and hard, there's absolutely no fun eating it. So, then, how do you bake a moist cake? The answer lies in using the right blend of ingredients baked at the right temperature to get a cake that's moist to the core. And this comes with a lot of practice. There is no single recipe that will yield the best results. And that's because ingredients, cooking styles, and even ovens vary. What works best for one baker might not give the same result for another. You may need to bake several times to get that perfect recipe.
Suggestions for Baking a Moist Cake
- The ingredients you use and their proportions make a big difference to the texture of the cake. More the content of fat and sugar, the more moist your cake will turn out to be. So add more sugar, and an extra dollop of oil to your cake. If the recipe you follow asks you to add 1 cup sugar, add an extra ⅓rd cup. Oil works best as it retards the production of gluten, which can strip a cake of its moisture leaving it dry and crumbly.
- The flour and eggs provide the protein which aids in setting up the cake batter. Egg whites, in particular, can make the cake lose its moisture. To avoid this, separate the egg white from the yolk and discard it.
- Do not use margarine in place of butter. Butter has more fat, which is required for a moist cake. The butter should be soft and creamy, at room temperature. Do not use hard or molten butter.
- Other popular moistening ingredients you can use are applesauce, sour cream, and mayonnaise. But don't be too generous with these, or you may end up with a soggy mess.
- Often, a pudding mix will help the cake become more moist. Add pudding mix to the cake batter and you will have a cake that's nice and moist.
- Mix all the ingredients well to produce a smooth batter. Make sure that everything is fully assimilated into the batter, since this will make sure that your cake turns out as moist as you want it to be. A point to note here is that overmixing the ingredients can result in a crumbly, flaky cake, so do not whip too much.
- Use aluminum pans for baking your cake, which are best suited for use in ovens since the cakes will have a nice, golden-brown crust. Liberally coat the pan with a baking spray and flour to avoid the cake from sticking to it. Always place the pan in the center of the oven.
- The baking process is another important factor which decides whether the cake will be moist or not. Buy an oven thermometer to check the oven temperature when you bake the cake. Insufficient baking will result in a cake with a molten center inside, and overbaking will leave you with a cake that's dry and hard.
- If you do not plan to eat the cake immediately, cover or wrap it and store it in the refrigerator so it does not dry out. A proven trick is to place freshly cut apple slices with the cake and then wrap both together before you store them. Your cake will remain fresh and soft.
- If you want to moisten a cake that's crusty and dry, add sugar syrup to it. To make the sugar syrup, add ½ a cup of sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice (use one orange) to one cup of water and boil this mixture till the sugar dissolves completely. Once it cools, drizzle this syrup over the dry cake, and you will have a cake that's delicious and super moist! Or if you have fruit preserves at home, melt them in the microwave for 30 seconds and glaze the top layer of the cake for added flavor and to retain moisture.
- 1 cup flour
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ a packet of instant pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Nonstick cooking spray
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, pudding mix, and baking powder.
- In a smaller bowl, beat the egg yolks and add to the dry mixture.
- Add the butter and oil and whisk all the ingredients well, ensuring that the cake mix is not lumpy. But be careful not to whisk too vigorously, as this might cause the cake to turn dry and brittle as it cools down.
- Preheat the oven for a few minutes till you reach the desired baking temperature of 350°F.
- Grease a pan with the nonstick cooking spray and then sprinkle flour on it.
- Pour the cake mix into the pan and bake it for half an hour at 350°F. Monitor the oven to check if the cake is set.
- To test if the cake is done, insert a toothpick into it. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.