Maybe it’s a tweak to the recipe, the oven temperature, or maybe it’s just the phases of the moon, but ending up with a dry cake is never fun. This tutorial goes over how to moisten a dry cake so that you can enjoy it more and be proud of serving it to family and friends.
While the secret to moist cake is partly in the baking, there is a way to make a cake moist after baking if you’re worried things didn’t work out right. There is no need to throw it in the bin and start over.
Why is My Cake Dry?
One of the most common reasons for a dry cake is overbaking it. Some other reasons could be that it was left out too long before covering or the batter was over-mixed.
Ingredients & Tools
All you’ll need are a couple common kitchen tools and a single ingredient to make all the cakes you bake from now on extra delicious.
- Simple syrup
- Cake – this applies to most cakes like chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, birthday, sheet cakes, etc.
- Funnel
- Wooden skewers – Will be used to poke holes in the cake. For larger cakes you can also get away with using cake dowel rods to make bigger holes.
- Squeeze bottle – to drizzle syrup into the holes of the cake
- Pastry brush – to brush on the simple syrup
Note: For a 9″ cake that is 2″ high, I used about 1/2 cup of simple syrup. The amount of syrup you will use depends on factors such as how dry the cake is, how moist you would like it, sweetness of the cake, the size of the cake, the density of the cake (cakes that are more spongy will absorb more syrup) etc. Adjust it according to your personal preference.
To Begin
Use a funnel to pour the simple syrup into a plastic squeeze bottle with a pour spout.
For Bigger Cakes (6″ or larger):
Here’s the one simple technique for making a dry cake more moist after it’s already been baked. Not only does this make the resulting cake more moist, it also adds some extra flavor.
Step #1. Poke Holes in the Cake
Poke holes into the top of the cake with a bamboo skewer.
Step #2. Brush the Cake with Syrup
Brush the top of the cake with the syrup using a pastry brush (this will allow the cake to be moistened on the outside).
Step #3. Pour Syrup into the Holes
Pour the syrup over the cake so that it seeps into the holes and let it sit for 2 hours so it absorbs completely. This will make the inside of the cake moist.
For Small Cakes (less than 6″):
Step #1. Cut Cake in Half
You can follow the same steps as with big cakes but you can cut the cake in half first. This way you can moisten the bottom half more efficiently. Poke holes into both sides of the cake.
Step #2. Brush Syrup Over
Brush syrup on both sides of the cake using the pastry brush. The smaller cakes only need about 30 minutes to soak. Place the halves back together.
Serve
The cake is now ready to frost as desired and serve.
Now you should have no problem ensuring all your cakes from this point forward are as tender and moist as you could ever dream of. After learning how to fix a dry cake you’ve got nothing to fear when baking any number of fantastic pastries.
This isn’t just limited to a chocolate cake, after all. Many different flavors and sizes work, as do plenty of other baked treats like muffins, breads, and cupcakes. Even cookies could benefit from a little simple syrup brush down if they’re not looking up to snuff initially. When in doubt, just give it a try.
Top Tips
- Work over a baking sheet and rack so that you don’t make a big mess.
- It’s better to use a silicone brush rather than a brush with pig hair bristles as I find the hairs sometimes fall out and get into the food.
- Try a flavored simple syrup to add some flavor to the cake.
- For an alternative to simple syrup, professional bakers also use milk to soak the cake.
- If you’re unsatisfied with the moisture of your cake, you could also turn it into cake pops by combining it with frosting.
- Adding frosting between the layers and on the outside of the cake also helps with the end result.
Now that you know the secret, what kind of cake are you most excited to bake knowing how moist it’s going to be? There is no need to hesitate when it comes to experimentation. Let me know how it turned out in the comments and please share this tutorial!
How to Moisten a Dry Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup simple syrup - approximately
- 1 cake
Instructions
- Use a funnel to pour the simple syrup into a plastic squeeze bottle with a pour spout.
For Bigger Cakes (6" or larger):
- Poke holes into the top of the cake with a bamboo skewer.
- Brush the top of the cake with the syrup using a pastry brush (this will allow the cake to be moistened on the outside).
- Pour the syrup over the cake so that it seeps into the holes and let it sit for 2 hours so it absorbs completely. This will make the inside of the cake moist.
For Small Cakes (less than 6"):
- You can follow the same steps as with big cakes but you can cut the cake in half first. This way you can moisten the bottom half more efficiently. Poke holes into both sides of the cake.
- Brush syrup on both sides of the cake using the pastry brush. The smaller cakes only need about 30 minutes to soak. Place the halves back together.
- The cake is now ready to frost as desired and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- The amount of syrup you will use depends on factors such as how dry the cake is, how moist you would like it, sweetness of the cake, the size of the cake, the density of the cake (cakes that are more spongy will absorb more syrup) etc. Adjust it according to your personal preference.
- For a 9″ cake that is 2″ high, I used about 1/2 cup of simple syrup.
- Work over a baking sheet and rack so that you don’t make a big mess.
- It’s better to use a silicone brush rather than a brush with pig hair bristles as I find the hairs sometimes fall out and get into the food.
- For an alternative to simple syrup, professional bakers also use milk to soak the cake.
- If you’re unsatisfied with the moisture of your cake, you could also turn it into cake pops by combining it with frosting.
- Adding frosting between the layers and on the outside of the cake also helps with the end result.
- The nutrition information is for the simple syrup only. It gives you an idea as to how many calories you are adding by soaking the cake with 1/2 cup syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Looking to further enhance your cooking skills? Check out…How to Make Tomatillo Salsa