Baking can be tough, but at least we have box cakes to make it easier! A box cake takes all the stress away from the process and allows you to just enjoy baking.
There’s one problem with box cakes, though… They are usually dry.
The dreaded dry cake is a friend to no one, and you need to fix that. So, if you want to learn how to make your box cakes moist and oh-so succulent, keep reading!
We’ll cover eight handy tricks that you can incorporate next time you bake.
These tips won’t only make your cake more moist, but they will also enhance the flavor and make it better than ever.
How to Make Box Cake Moist
1. Add Pudding to Make a Moist Cake
You read that right! You can easily add pudding to your cake to add moisture and rich flavor to it.
Make sure you use the right kind of pudding to compliment your cake, though.
For example, use chocolate pudding in your chocolate cake!
Alternatively, you can use something like banana pudding in a yellow box cake – that would be a fun flavor combination!
2. Use Two Extra Egg Yolks
One of the best, and easiest, ways to combat a dry box cake is to add extra egg! You could add two whole eggs, but there’s a chance that it would be too much.
Adding egg yolk will add some creaminess and moisture without acting as a binding agent to make a cake too dense and spongy.
It will also add some lovely yellow coloring to your cake to make it more beautiful.
3. Make Sure You Use Large Eggs
A common mistake we make is using small eggs when we bake! Unless a recipe specifically calls for the use of small eggs, you should always use large ones.
This will add more richness and flavor, but also moisture.
If you don’t use eggs, make sure to use a healthy helping of your substitute and don’t skimp. This goes a long way to creating a moist box cake.
4. Switch Out Some Wet Ingredients
You can easily switch out some of the wet ingredients for better ones. For example, instead of adding boring water, add milk, sour cream, crème fraîche, or even yogurt.
This will add some great fats which will add moisture and more flavor.
5. Use Melted Butter in Your Mix Instead of Oil
Oil is fine, but melted butter is the better option. This will again add more moisture and flavor to the whole cake. It’s also an easy substitute.
6. Don’t Over Bake Your Cake
This should be self-explanatory, but over baking is a common problem. Follow the instructions, and check the cake as soon as the timer goes off.
Use a toothpick or something similar to check if the cake has been cooked all the way through.
If batter clings to the toothpick, bake it for another five minutes and check it again.
Don’t forget about it, or you will have a dry cake!
7. Don’t Over Mix Your Batter
Over mixing your batter will make your cake drier than you hope for. Mixing your batter for too long will add too much air into it and give it a gummy and unpleasant texture.
Sometimes less is more, but the instructions should always tell you what the mixture should look like at the end.
8. Add Extra Moisture After Baking
If all else fails and you somehow end up with a dry box cake, you can simply add more moisture yourself.
You can do this by creating a sugar or syrup water, or you can use a lemon juice mixture, or even alcohol.
Depending on the kind of cake you’re making, one will definitely work better than others.
For example, you can make a lemon sugar mixture to use on a vanilla cake to add flavor and moisture.
You can use brandy or sherry for a chocolate cake, too! A sugar or syrup water is a popular option, too. This can be used for most cakes, so it’s the safe option.
Simply create your mixture and evenly distribute it over the cake. This should be done by sprinkling the mixture over the safe surface. Don’t overdo it, or else your cake will fall apart.
Be Careful Not to Add Too Much Moisture
We love moist cakes, but adding too much moisture will create a big problem, too.
If a cake has too much moisture, the flour and all the other dry ingredients will not be able to absorb it all.
When this happens, you end up with a runny cake that will just fall apart.
A cake with too much moisture could also just taste awful. It will be dense rather than being light and fluffy.
Overall, it might feel like the cake hasn’t been baked enough, and make you feel like you’re eating raw eggs.
No one wants that, so you need to be careful!
If you think you’ve added too much liquid to your mix, and it hasn’t gone in the oven yet, don’t worry!
You can easily correct the situation by adding more dry ingredients. A scale won’t help, and you will simply need to eyeball it.
Add more flour, cocoa powder, and anything else the recipe calls for, until the batter is the right consistency.
The batter shouldn’t be watery, but it must not be too thick, either. A happy middle ground is usually the right call.
However, some cakes will naturally have a batter that is more watery than others, so watch out for this, too.
Final Thoughts
Cakes can be difficult to get right, but it takes practice. If you’ve been struggling with dry cakes, try implementing one or more of the above tips and tricks.
These should solve your problem if you do it right, so why not try them out and find your favorite?
