Moisture in Cake

[yourstrulyewalani]

I have a recipe for chocolate cake that is good but I have a problem. It turns out nice and moist when I use oil but I prefer the flavor when I use butter. Is there a way to get a nice moist chocolate cake from scratch with the equivalent of oil using butter? Should I use extra butter?

My ingredients are: oil, milk, sugar, vanilla, instant coffee, flour, baking soda, eggs and chocolate syrup.

I really want a moist chocolate cake without oil. I prefer butter.

 

[merstar]

This cake is ultra moist and uses butter - (note that it's melted butter). I make this every year for my husband's birthday - it's fantastic. I don't use the white frosting, but make extra ganache filling to both frost and fill the cake layers. Also, I keep this as a two-layer cake instead of making four layers.
***Caution: Make sure you line the pans with buttered and dusted parchment paper - the cake layers are so moist, they stick to the pans like glue!
DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING
Devil's Food Cake with Fluffy White Frosting at Godiva.com

 

[yourstrulyewalani]

I never thought of using melted butter! Come to think of it, when I made chocolate chip cookies that seemed "moist" (greasy for a cookie) it was when the butter had melted form the heat. I'll try my recipe with melted butter and see if there is a difference! Thank you merstar!

 

[merstar]

I never thought of using melted butter! Come to think of it, when I made chocolate chip cookies that seemed "moist" (greasy for a cookie) it was when the butter had melted form the heat. I'll try my recipe with melted butter and see if there is a difference! Thank you merstar!

You're very welcome - Let me know how it turns out!

 

[bakechef]

Melted butter may help.

Butter usually makes a slightly less moist cake (butter contains some water compared to oil). Oil will make it more moist and will be softer right out of the fridge, where butter cakes need to be brought closer to room temp to soften up.

 

[bakechef]

This cake is ultra moist and uses butter - (note that it's melted butter). I make this every year for my husband's birthday - it's fantastic. I don't use the white frosting, but make extra ganache filling to both frost and fill the cake layers. Also, I keep this as a two-layer cake instead of making four layers.
***Caution: Make sure you line the pans with buttered and dusted parchment paper - the cake layers are so moist, they stick to the pans like glue!
DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING
Devil's Food Cake with Fluffy White Frosting at Godiva.com

I am gonna try that recipe, it looks really good!

Have you ever made whipped ganache? It is heavenly!

 

[yourstrulyewalani]

Have you ever made whipped ganache? It is heavenly!

I haven't but it sounds worth making. I'm going to have a lot of cake that needs frosting or ganache-ing so I will try it!

I had a very good suggestion to use applesauce or mashed bananas to add moisture in place of butter or oil. I will try melted butter and mashed bananas and see how that goes. (One of each not a combination, although that may not be a bad idea.)

 

[Jeff G.]

I have a recipe for chocolate cake that is good but I have a problem. It turns out nice and moist when I use oil but I prefer the flavor when I use butter. Is there a way to get a nice moist chocolate cake from scratch with the equivalent of oil using butter? Should I use extra butter?

My ingredients are: oil, milk, sugar, vanilla, instant coffee, flour, baking soda, eggs and chocolate syrup.

I really want a moist chocolate cake without oil. I prefer butter.

Sure, more butter and chocolate syrup. You might also put an extra egg yolk in.

 

[merstar]

Melted butter may help.

Butter usually makes a slightly less moist cake (butter contains some water compared to oil). Oil will make it more moist and will be softer right out of the fridge, where butter cakes need to be brought closer to room temp to soften up.

Good point!

 

[merstar]

I am gonna try that recipe, it looks really good!

Have you ever made whipped ganache? It is heavenly!

Hello, fellow North Carolinian,
I've made tons of different chocolate cakes, and this is way above the rest. Another great one is Cook's Illustrated's Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake.
I haven't gotten around to making whipped ganache yet. It's definitely on my to-try list.

 

[merstar]

I am gonna try that recipe, it looks really good!

Some extra notes about the Devil's Food Cake:
I don't use Godiva chocolate - I use Ghirardelli.
I use strong brewed espresso instead of coffee.
I've used both natural and Dutched cocoa, and they both turn out equally well.

 

[bakechef]

I haven't but it sounds worth making. I'm going to have a lot of cake that needs frosting or ganache-ing so I will try it!

I had a very good suggestion to use applesauce or mashed bananas to add moisture in place of butter or oil. I will try melted butter and mashed bananas and see how that goes. (One of each not a combination, although that may not be a bad idea.)

OK for what it is worth.... I hate when people say to replace oil or butter with applesauce or mashed banana!!! These are not equivalent to oil in any way. Your cake will be less tender. It will appear to be moist but it is only more dense because the cake will rise less (has something to do with fat lubricating the strands of gluten). Fat is also a great carrier of flavor, applesauce is not.

I can tell in an instant if someone has used applesauce in a quick bread or cake, instead of a nice tender crumb, you get a more rubbery dense crumb.

My motto is, if I'm gonna eat something like cake, I want it to be great! Is it worth sacrificing flavor and texture, to save 50 or less calories per slice? I can say this as someone who has lost 60 lbs. this year, all while enjoying cake and pastry every so often.

This isn't meant to be a lecture, but I am sure it sounds that way. I just like to let people know that applesauce does not equal oil. You can get away with replacing some oil with applesauce in muffins and quick breads, but not all of it, since these have a rougher texture and less tender crumb.