Sometimes the worst thing happens when baking a cake: it turns out dry! Luckily, there are some simple solutions to save a dry cake and enjoy it again.
Maybe your oven was too hot, or you forgot to set a timer. Or you didn't measure the ingredients correctly. Whatever happened, your cake isn't burned, it's just pretty dry. Don't throw it away yet! We share with you some tips and tricks on how to save him.
Use white bread or apple
A very easy way to moisten the dry cake is the common white bread trick. Place a slice of white bread along with your cake in a sealed bag or container for several hours.
The moisture from the bread transfers to the cake, moistening it while the bread itself hardens. This method is very convenient because most people have a slice of bread at home. However, since it requires a longer time, you should only choose it if you do not want to serve the cake immediately after baking.
You can also use the same method with apple slices. But make sure that the apple can give the cake a little apple flavor. If the flavor of your cake doesn't match that of the apples, you may want to use a different moistening trick.
Save dry cake: Brush with simple syrup
If you find your cake is dry, you can brush it with a simple syrup. Mix equal parts sugar and water and heat until a thick syrup forms.
If you haven't cut the cake yet, poke a few holes in the cake with a wooden skewer and then drizzle the syrup into the cake.
You can also soak your cake with condensed milk, buttermilk, coconut milk, or a liqueur, depending on your taste.
Place the cake in the microwave
This method is great if you want to serve your dry cake right away, as it is a short-term solution and won't retain moisture for long.
Dampen a paper towel and lay it flat on the microwave's glass plate. Place the cake on top and microwave on medium for 10 seconds.
Be careful that if your cake is already frosted, the microwave can melt the frosting. Control the process by only running the microwave in short intervals.
Frost the cake
Apply frosting to cake to seal in any remaining moisture. To do this, you can use whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, pudding, or regular buttercream all over the surface of the cake. If you think this doesn't add enough moisture, cut the cake in half and add the frosting between layers as well.
Another option is the cakewith a jamor mousse to fill. Even though your cake technically shouldn't have a filling, that doesn't mean you can't incorporate one.
Steam the cake in the oven
This is a very easy way to moisten your dry cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Fill a tray with water and place it on the lowest rack in the oven.
- Place the cake on an ovenproof plate and put it in the oven on one of the top racks.
- As the steam rises from the water, it will soon fill the gaps in the cake.
- Leave it in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes and you'll have a moist cake in no time.
Save the dry cake with a towel
This method is only used if you notice the dryness of the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven.
Leaving the cake in the baking pan, fold a towel and place it on top of the cake. Let it cool completely aside.
In this way, the escaping steam gets back into the cake.
Use the dry cake
If your cake is completely dried out and none of these methods work, don't think it's destined for the bin. You can easily use it at any time.
- Prepare cake pops:Mix the cake crumbs with cream cheese, sour cream, buttercream or milk and roll the mixture into balls. Let them cool until firm. Cover them with chocolate as desired.
- French Toast:You can use cake slices to make a sweet twist on the classic breakfast dish. Soak the cake slices in a mixture of eggs, milk and sugar and fry them in a pan.
- Kuchenpudding:Cut the dry cake into cubes. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla extract and sugar and pour the mixture over the cake cubes. Bake the cake pudding in the oven until golden brown.
