My cakes are too dry!

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smoke king

Sous Chef
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
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Location
elkhorn, ne
I've been cooking/baking for about 5 years now (thanks food network!). I really enjoy the baking, and I've taught myself some decorating techniques-nothing too elaborate mind you, but over the years I started making "themed" birthday cakes-you know, cartoon characters, rock band logos, etc, and have developed quite a knack for fondant. but......
Why do my cakes always come out so dry? I've taken to using box cakes, and they come out perfect everytime!
Its not a big deal I guess, cake is cake-but its really starting to bother me!
Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong?
 
Too much flour or leavening (baking soda/baking powder) was used.
Not enough shortening or sugar was used.
The cake was over-baked - the oven temperature was too high and/or the baking time was too long.
 
There are so many variables to cake baking. Your eggs may be smaller than what the recipe used, it may be the way you measure your flour, your oven may be running a little warmer than it should. I would try using about 1/2 cup less flour, adding a little more liquid, or turning my oven down 25 degrees. Hope one of these help. You might also post one of your recipes, so someone can see if they notice anything "out of line".
 
Thanks. I think you both maybe on the mark-I've tried a number of recipes and the result is always the same. The one exception, for what its worth, seems to be bundt cakes. Trouble is, I've got another childs birthday coming up and its awfully hard to make "Stewie Griffin" from a bundt cake!!!
 
After several failures, I sought out recipes that included vegetable oil in the
recipe, due to the fact that I have several bundt cake recipes that turn out fabulous everytime, and the one common ingredient that they all had was the inclusion of vegatable oil. But a few weeks ago. I made a "checkerboard" cake for my grandsons 7th birthday.

I had several recipes to choose from; I went with the one that included vegatable oil, and called for a full 10 minutes less on the baking time. I checked it with a wooden skewer (should I be doing that?) and it came out clean about 3 minutes early. Thinking I finally got it, I decorated the cake. But when I cut it-it was the same old story. Last week, I made a birthday cake for my daughter-used a box marble cake and it came out perfectly.

It had'nt occured to me until now that the oven may be off-its at least 20 years old.

And to address Andy M., yes, I am using regular sugar in the full recipe amount-should I be? Like I've mentioned, I'm fairly new at this, and there are no doubt lots of tricks that only come with experience.

Sorry to go on & on, but I would like to thank each and everyone one of you for chiming in-I sincerely appreciate it. After only one day I can see that I'm really going to enjoy DC-thanks for letting me be a part of it!!
 
It had'nt occured to me until now that the oven may be off-its at least 20 years old.
Do you have an oven thermometer ? My old oven used to burn everything, it was off by 30 degrees. Finally ended up getting a new oven , couldn't find a replacement thermostat.
 
...And to address Andy M., yes, I am using regular sugar in the full recipe amount-should I be?...


Yes, you should. If you had been subbing another sweetner or using less, that could cause dryness.

Checking for doneness with a wood skewer or toothpick is the usual method and should work. When you tested it and it was "done", it may also have been done ten minutes earlier. No way to tell.
 
smoke king said:
Last week, I made a birthday cake for my daughter-used a box marble cake and it came out perfectly.

It had'nt occured to me until now that the oven may be off-its at least 20 years old.

Just a thought. If the oven was the problem..wouldn't it effect the box cake the same way??

Check flour type...freshness...addtional oil might help. Or Hey! Post your recipe and I'm sure someone here can give you some excellent tips!

Have Fun!
 
This may sound weird and all, but ever since we started using organic, vegetarian fed cage free eggs our cakes have been turning out much much better. Moister as well as tastier. The eggs themselves seem to have more whites to them. When we cracked open a generic x-large white egg and a veggie cage free large brown egg open next to each other, it seemed you got more with the veggie cage free egg and in fact it made the brown cage free egg look jumbo sized next to the grade A x-large generic eggs.
Many of the recipes we use are from a Victorian cake book, so back then they probably got their eggs by walk out to the chicken coop. In contrast the box cake mixes are 'designed' around todays commercial eggs. I wonder if this is some of the difference we are experiencing here?
 
All the suggestion here are great and if all else fails, brush a sugar syrup on the layers before frosting so that it will soak into the cake and moisten it.
 
Post a recipe that you have used and maybe we can troubleshoot it. I suspect that the issue is as many folks have suggested, not enough fat or eggs. I think if you just add one more egg to your cakes you might do well. Just for a test, try this chocolate cake recipe. Its a very heavy moist cake. Don't add the extra egg to this recipe though. Try it out and see if it turns out moist or dry. If its dry, then I think we will have to suspect your oven temp or over cooking as the issue. I think Uncle Bob is right though, your boxed cakes would be dry if your oven were the issue.
 
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