Cake Dryness Help (iso moist cake recipes)

[lacia]

Okay, so I am taking a cake decorating class and I have to make a cake every week. Because of the nature of the class (mid-week), I make the cake Sunday/Monday, decorate it Tuesday night, then bring it into work Wednesday morning. Well I brought in my first cake this morning and it was terrible! It was sooooo DRY! The instructor suggests that we make the cake a day before icing it (so we don't get drag crumbs into the icing) but it seems like this would make the cake dry out. She claims the icing (buttercream) will soften up the dryness and if we cover the cake completely with icing, this won't be a problem.

First question - does anyone have any suggestions on keeping cakes moist? Does this instructor's theory make sense at all???

Second question - suggestions on a cake that stays MOIST when made ahead and would be okay covered in buttercream icing (have to use for decorating)? I was thinking of making this white turtle cake (http://www.afamilyquilt.com/yummy/36.html) sans frosting but can definitely use other ideas. I really want to make a WOW cake for next week. Wouldn't want the people at work to think I make awful-tasting desserts! ;)

[Chelle D]

I am by no means a big baker, but if I make a cake ahead, I always wrap the layers in plasctic wrap and refridgerate them. They usually turn out just fine if I do that. I have even read about people freezing layers and having success. Maybe val will chime in - I am sure she has some great ideas.

[KirstenL]

I have two CL recipes that get rave reviews every time I serve them, and the cakes are never dry: Double-Coconut Cake, and Italian Cream Cake. I often make the cake the day before frosting it, so maybe these will help you. (Obviously you would end up substituting your own frosting for decorating, especially for the coconut cake.)

Also, another reader had recently posted a White Triple-Layer Cake with Lemon Filling in another thread. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good. Here are the recipes for you. Good Luck!

DOUBLE COCONUT CAKE
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cake flour
2¼ cups sifted cake flour
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1⅔ cups sugar
⅓ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fluffy Coconut Frosting
⅔ cup flaked sweetened coconut, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
3. Combine 2 ¼ cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread with 1 cup Fluffy Coconut Frosting. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup coconut. Top with frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle ⅓ cup coconut over top of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.
Yield: 14 servings.
NUTRITION PER SERVING: (Totals include Fluffy Coconut Frosting) CALORIES 298 (24% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat. 5g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 3.4g; CARB 53.8g; FIBER 0.4g; CHOL 42mg; IRON 1.6mg; SODIUM 273mg; CALC 52mg

Fluffy Coconut Frosting:
4 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract

Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238° F. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Stir in extracts.
Yield: about 4 cups (serving size about ¼ cup).
NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 54 (0% from fat); FAT 0g; PROTEIN 0.9g; CARB 12.7g; FIBER 0g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0mg; SODIUM 32mg; CALC 1mg.
Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2001


ITALIAN CREAM CAKE
Cream Cheese Icing
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups sugar
½ cup light butter
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
½ cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
Sugared kumquats (optional)
Orange rind strips (optional)
Kumquat leaves (optional)

Prepare Cream Cheese Icing; cover and chill.
Coat bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until butter is creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and extracts.
Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with ⅔ cup Cream Cheese Icing; top with another cake layer. Repeat with ⅔ cup icing and remaining layer, ending with cake. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with kumquats, orange rind, and kumquat leaves, if desired. Or garnish with lemon rind strips.
Note: To make sugared kumquats, dip kumquats into lightly beaten egg whites, and drain; roll in sugar.
Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 300 (24% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 3.7g, mono 1.5g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 4.5g; CARB 53.8g; FIBER 0.5g; CHOL 39mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 166mg; CALC 28mg;
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1995

Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe goes with Italian Cream Cake.
1 tablespoon light butter
1 (8-ounce) package Neufchâtel cheese
1 (1-pound) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar; beat at low speed until well-blended. Add vanilla; beat well. Yield: 2⅔ cups


WHITE TRIPLE-LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON FILLING
Cooking Light March 1998

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cake flour
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 2/3 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon butter extract
Lemon Filling
Fluffy White Frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray, and dust pans with 1 tablespoon flour.

Lightly spoon sifted flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Combine sugar, butter, and oil in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine milk and yogurt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in extracts.
Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with half of Lemon Filling, and top with another cake layer. Spread with remaining Lemon Filling, and top with last cake layer. Spread Fluffy White Frosting over top and sides of cake. Yield: 16 servings.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 321 (14% from fat); FAT 5.1g (sat 2.3g, mono 1.5g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 4.7g; CARB 64.3g; FIBER 0.0g; CHOL 36mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 186mg; CALC 87mg

Note: Our makeover halved the fat in this cake. You'll need a candy thermometer to make its Fluffy White Frosting. Candy thermometers are different from meat thermometers and can be found in many supermarkets. Store this cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Fluffy White Frosting

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine first 5 ingredients in top of a double boiler; place egg white mixture over barely simmering water in bottom of double boiler on cooktop. Beat at high speed of a hand-held mixer until stiff peaks form and candy thermometer registers 160°F. Add vanilla; beat until blended. Yield: 4 cups.



Double-Coconut Cake

[Little Bit]

Dry cakes that I've made have generally come about because I overbaked them. I tend to cheat and solve the problem by drizzling the cake with a flavored sugar syrup, but I have no idea how well that would work with a buttercream icing on top.

I'd second the 'wrap the layers well and chill them' advice.

If you want to bake the cake and ice it the same day, just make sure the cake layers are completely cool. Assemble the layers (with icing between), and put on a crumb coat of icing, and chill the cake completely, to let the crumb coat set, then ice the cake.

[dlaboriel]

My experience with dry cake was due to overbeating once I incorporated the flour.

[lacia]

Thanks for the suggestions and recipes. I will try wrapping the layers tightly and let you guys know how it turns out next week!

[sadie]

I'm new to this board and am enjoying reading through the recent postings. I've made a white turtle cake that was either identical or very similar to the recipe posted here and in my opinion the frosting makes the cake,so I wouldn't leave it off. It's a very moist, gooey, and delicious cake.

When I'm baking a cake I put a pan of water on the bottom rack of my oven to add moisture. Many people do this with cheesecakes as well. I've read on other sites to lower the oven temperature to 325° regardless of whether or not you're using a dark pan, and I've tried this, but I don't know if it's made much of a difference to the moistness of my cakes. I find the pan of water does though.