Moist Cakes - how can I make one?

[DONNA CINGO]

I AM LOOKING FOR INGREDIENTS THAT WILL MAKE A CAKE MOIST EVERY TIME. THANKS,

 

[kitchenelf]

Hi Donna,

I'm not a baker per sa but I looked up some info for you. Hope it helps and welcome to DiscussCooking. There are a lot of great bakers here at DiscussCooking so hopefully someone will give you some tried and true ways.

For a Moist Cake
The main reason cakes become dry is they are over-baked. As a rule, check the cake at the shorter end of the baking time range. If your cake doesn't test done with a toothpick, return it to the oven for the full baking time.

Tender cakes
No one wants a dry cake. To ensure a tender, moist cake, gently and briefly fold the liquid and dry ingredients into cake batter. The lighter your touch, the better. A light touch prevents the protein in the flour from forming into firm strands of gluten.

Moist Cake:To make any homemade or boxed chocolate cake recipe moist and fluffier, add a spoonful of vinegar to the dry ingredients. you'll be amazed at the difference

 

[Norma]

You might also try something you often see the professional chefs do.....brush the top of the slightly cooled cake with a half sugar, half water mixture, that has been heated together just enough to completely dissolve the sugar, then cooled slightly. Let it completely absorb before frosting.

 

[kitchenelf]

I might learn to bake yet Norma! I'm going to print out all these tips and pray the next time I bake (which so far is about once or twice every 30 years!)

 

[spearmint45]

Replace about 10-20% of your fat with vegetable oil (canola is fine). The result is fabulous.

FYI- the simple syrup recipe is ok, but the pros do it like this: (this technique is used for wedding cakes quite often to keep them nice and moist!)

2 cups water
1 cup sugar

Put both into a saucepan and bring to a boil. When sugar is completely dissoved (you won't see the crystals anymore), remove from the heat and let cool.

To Use:
Brush with a pastry brush over a cooled cake layer before icing, and let the sugar soak in for about 10 minutes or so before applying the icing.

The cake syrup will keep for several weeks at room temp, in a covered container.

 

[lynne p]

moist cake trick

My grandma used to bake cakes for a living. She taught me to add 1T of mayo to the mix when prepping. you can't taste it and it really works.

 

[Tasha]

This is a fool-proof way to make sure your cake is moist, has never failed me, plus it eliminates some of the fat. I substitute oil for applesauce. Amount for amount. Will give you a fluffy, yummy cake each time. I don't like cakes w/out applesauce now, makes it seem too heavy to me.