Hi all! Today we have a guest post from our friends at 247naijacakeaffairs, and they are going to give us some tips on how to make our cakes moist and fluffy!
Making a cake is not a difficult process, but complications can arise whether you are using a premixed product or baking the cake from scratch. By altering the ingredients, however, you can eliminate a number of potential pitfalls that lead to a cake being dry and crumbly when it comes out of the oven. In some cases, making substitutions or adding one additional element is all you need to make an extremely moist and fluffy cake. Please note that it is possible for a cake to by fluffy and not moist. It is thus beneficial for you to know exactly what you want to achieve in order for the rules below to guide you. Let’s look at the points as categorized below.
WORK WITH A RECIPE
Baking is as much an art as it is a science. In order to achieve dependable results, we need to work with recipes and not use guess work. Unlike in times past when we baked merely based on what comes into our heads. If a recipe must be changed during baking, take note of those changes. That way you know what to repeat or avoid the next time you are baking that type of cake.
TYPE OF CAKE
Some types of cakes like red velvet and carrot cakes are naturally moist, and in fact cakes with high liquid proportions always turn out moist. Sponge cakes are naturally fluffy, while vanilla cakes are usually not as moist and fluffy. Knowing what to expect from a particular type of cake and having good knowledge of the characteristics of various types of cakes is an asset that will help you decide on the type of cake that will fit your objective.
CHOICE OF INGREDIENTS
The types of ingredients you use to bake your cakes play a major role in how fluffy and moist you cake will be. Let’s consider these few tips below:
- Use cake flour in place of all-purpose flour. Cake flour is flour which has been mixed with some corn starch in order to make it lighter. Cakes baked with cake flour are usually lighter and softer than cakes baked with all-purpose flour.
- Use real butter in place of margarine, even if the recipe calls for it. Margarine or butter substitutes contain more water than fat. However, it is the fat in butter that helps to hold the cake together and moisten it. The excess water in margarine will evaporate in the oven’s heat, leaving you with a dry texture to your cake.
- Substituting some butter with oil in a recipe always leads to moister cakes. Vegetable oil reduces the production of gluten in flour, a protein found in wheat products that work as a binding agent. Too much gluten in a cake will cause it to be sticky and tough rather than moist.
- Consider substituting milk for buttermilk. Buttermilk has a high acidic content which breaks down the gluten in flour, thus making cakes softer. If you are going to use buttermilk in a recipe which does not include baking soda, consider adding a little bit of baking soda to the recipe.
- Blend the batter thoroughly after adding any additional ingredients called for in the recipe to ensure their full incorporation and then bake the cake normally.
MIXING THE BATTER
At the point of mixing the cake batter, here are a few things to consider:
- If you are using the creaming method of mixing the butter and sugar first, be sure to add as much air into the mixture as possible. When air is trapped in your batter it will help make your cake light and fluffy, however, do not overdo it. 5 to 8 minutes of creaming will be enough.
- The reverse is the case after flour has been added. Over-mixing after the flour has been added will make the cake dense and hard. Always use the technique of adding flour and milk in alternating additions (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). This will guarantee that you do not over mix the batter. If you are using a stand mixer, stop the machine after most of the flour has been poured in and mix the rest using your spatula.
- Separate the white from the yolk of one egg included in the recipe. Discard the white and add only the yolk to the batter. This step is necessary for only one egg, regardless of how many are used in the recipe. Egg whites are drying agents and too many will reduce the moisture content of the batter. To achieve extra fluffy cakes, especially when making vanilla cakes, separate the egg whites from the egg yolk, make the batter with the egg yolks, beat the egg whites separately and fold it into the batter in the end.
BAKING
Over baking your cakes could be a problem. Below are a few tips for avoiding this:
- Try dividing your batter into 2 baking pans and baking them in those separate pans instead of baking all the batter in one deep baking pan. The more quantity of batter poured in a pan, the longer you will need to bake the cake, and the more chances the cake will dry out during baking.
- Be attentive while your cake is in the oven. Over baking a cake is sure to make it dry. Always bring out your cake from the oven as soon as your cake is baked. This is ascertained as soon as a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Always note the recommended baking time for the recipe you are using and start checking 8 minutes earlier.
- If your cake is taking too long to bake, cover the top of the cake with parchment paper. This will not only prevent the cake from browning too much but will also prevent it from drying out.
STORING AND FROSTING
- Make sure your cakes are completely cool before storing them in a fridge. Seal them properly with foil before putting them in the fridge. When cakes are exposed over time, they gradually dry out. Sealing helps to keep moisture inside the cake.
- Adding syrup (eg, sugar syrup) is a great way of adding moisture to your cakes. To use, pour or spray some simple syrup over your cake slices before frosting the cake.
Thanks to 247naijacakeaffairs for this great post. I hope it helps you in your cake baking adventures!
Sharon
would like to know the reasons that cakes fall,
can be overmixing, underbaking, too much liquid fat or sugar in recipe, or opening oven door 🙂
Can I use the same method of separating egg white, for pound cake?
no you need the whole egg
It falls when you open the oven too early. It’s best to leave your batter in the oven for about 30 minutes before opening the oven again.
My scratch cakes are dry ,not moist.
Cake flour does not have cornstarch mixed into it. It is usually made with winter wheat, could be milled differently etc. which give it a lower protein content. If one doesn’t have cake flour, the usual substitute is add cornstarch to the AP flour.
How much corn starch per cup ? Pamela
For every cup of AP flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and replace it with cornstach. Sift.
hi.. i got useful tips from the sharing. just want to know why my cakes does not rise evenly. two, sometimes, the toothpick comes out clean but when i cut the cake its so ‘wet’ like pudding.. please help..
your oven may not be level…. and if the cake is wet inside it needs more bake time OR it’s a bad recipe….
thank you for the tips. found it really helpful
Thank You so much for the usefull tips,,
Very helpful. Thank you so much!
Please help me to make a perfect moist and fluffy soft Chocolate Cake. A recipe from you would help me . Thank You
check out my post called Best Doctored Cake Mix recipes…
My specialty is carrot cake and although everyone loves them I find them dry and crusty please assist.
Ingredients
1 box carrot cake mix
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 large whole eggs
1 1/3 cup water *
2 Tbs oil
8 oz sour cream full fat
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz baby jar pureed carrots
1/2 cup raisins optional
1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
Directions
Mix all dry ingredients together with whisk. Add remaining ingredients and beat for no more than 2 minutes at low speed.
Bake at 325.
Notes
* NOTE: for smaller 15 oz box mixes, use 1 1/8 cup water per mix.
Recipe can be doubled.
Very moist and delicious.
This is Rebecca Sutterby’s recipe; printed with permission.
God bless you for those valuable tips.
Enjoy Thanksgiving!!!
Hi.. Hope you are doing well:)
Iam new to baking. I’ve baked a cake a few times by watching vids. I’ve seen some people pour milk after the cake is baked.. can you tell why is it so? And in which cakes should i pour milk.like in sponges cakes or other?how many minutes should i give it after pouring milk?
I tried a simple sponge cake yesterday but it burst open from the middle and was little undercooked from top mid when i cooked it more it burnt from the top.. after reading your post i found my mistake of over pouring batter in a single pan.
Waiting for your reply.
Thankyou 🙂
you are describing a tres leche cake which is totally different than a plain sponge cake addressed in this article 🙂
Hi,
I’m new to scratch cake baking, and having some trouble with them.
A couple have seemed underbaked when cut open, even though the tester came out clean. Another seemed done, but both cakes seemed like corn bread.
I have been using butter but am wondering if there are recipes (for white cake) that use butter AND oil in it?
I’ve also read something about using sour cream. Is s.c. in a white cake recipe common?
Thank you for any help 🙂
Separate the white from the yolk of one egg included in the recipe. Discard the white and add only the yolk to the batter. This step is necessary for only one egg, regardless of how many are used in the recipe. Egg whites are drying agents and too many will reduce the moisture content of the batter. To achieve extra fluffy cakes, especially when making vanilla cakes, separate the egg whites from the egg yolk, make the batter with the egg yolks, beat the egg whites separately and fold it into the batter in the end.
I am a bit confuse on this paragraph. My recipe requires me to use 3 large eggs. Does it mean, I separate all the 3 white eggs and 3 yolks? Whisk egg whites separately from the egg yolks. Fold all the 3 egg whites or 1 egg white (after whisk) into the batter? I am using self raising flour.
you are discarding the white of one egg for the recipe :}
Thanks a lot for this post.
Most of my queries are solved.
I am going to a cake today and will come back with the results 🙂
Pls can you help with a chocolate cake recipe,mine is way too soft and really taste good..thanks.
Hi look for my post called “best doctored cake recipes” for just what you need 🙂
This the recipe I followed to the letter. 1/4 C butter 1/4 C veg. Oil 1/2 Cwhite sugar 1/3C brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 baking powder 1/4 baking soda 3/4 tsp nutmeg 1tspcinnamon 3/4 salt 1 tsp vanilla ext. 2/23all purpose flour 1 cup milk. Tried doing this a few times but the muffins were sooo dry Help. I love baking but this has been a problem.
some recipes are just not good; I would ditch it and try a new one 🙂
Hi, my cakes don’t rise evenly. In the middle they look like a volcano, no matter I am baking in a rectangular or a round pan cake.
Thanks for your tips.
try wet strips around the pan, a heating core and decrease temp by 25 degrees
Can I buy cornflour and mix it with normal flour?
not sure what you are referring to?
Thank you so much!
This is quite helpful. Thanks.
Thanks for all the tips! I still have two questions : If recipe calls for AP flour, how do you adjust if you want to substitute cake flour (which is lighter of course)? In addition, I’m a believer in, initially, following a recipe; could it be that since I have been looking at buttermilk pound cakes, they require AP flour?
For every cup of AP flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and replace it with cornstach. Sift.
I really need the measurements for both vanilla and chocolate cake in grams,i am really not so familiar with the use of cup. Thanks
there are many online converters that will convert measurements for you 🙂
Hi. Im new in baking I get moist cake sometimes also dry cakes too I have to make a wedding cake but Im afraid to get a dry cake what cake do you recommended to make sponge cake? Pound cake? Or any other please help . thank you
Hi
If i have Cake Flour but it does not state cornstarch as its ingredient, then what should i do ?
It only state Wheat Flour & Chlorine as its ingredients.
cake flour is good as is , no need to doctor 🙂
Hey, Ms. Sharon! Wonderful advice! I’ll be sure to keep them in mind when baking my next cake.
But I did have a quick question; should one incorporate just a few of these steps, or would it be ok to incorporate all of them at once? I was honestly about to try the latter, but I was worried about making my cake TOO moist, or ruining it by mistake.
I would try one at a time until you get the result you want 🙂
How can I make my cake light and fluffy
please review the tips in this article
Hi Im new when it comes to cake and baking.I made my cake in moulds but it comes our hard and crunchy but i Refrigerate it before tasting it i didn’t know where the problem comes from.Thank you
if it is hard and cruchy when it comes out the pan it sounds to be overbaked and/or the oven temp too high
My daughter and I are considering opening a bakery. Everyone raves over our white almond cake which is box cake and slightly doctored up with almond buttercream icing. My daughter is insisting we keep trying white cakes from scratch for the bakery but seem to struggle finding the right recipe that taste as good as cake mixes. The box cakes have a moist, fluffy and great texture. Your article has some great tips. What’s your thought on using cake mixes over scratch recipes for bakery cakes or do you have a good white cake recipe?
doctored cake mixes taste wonderful and give consistent results. No reason not to use them 🙂
Hi, thank you so much for all your helpful tips. Why my cake doesn’t rise evenly?
your oven racks may not be level
Thank you
great thanks
LOVE YOUR TIPS!!! I remember my mom (bless her soul) use your tips & her cakes were DELICIOUS! She never measured anything. A southern cook.
Thank you
What if the cake recipe didn’t call for separating egg white ?
this article refers to variations you can try to make it more fluffy 🙂
You seem to be featuring ‘light & flluffy’ I’m not sure that’s what I need. I thought I wanted a more ‘moist’ cake. Any thoughts on that? ?Rebecca
Check out my post called “best doctored cake recipes”
Hi my cakes after baking does be dry an stiff sugar crystal settle on top what causes that
dry could be a bad recipe or overbaked. Sugar crystals are from a high sugar content.