Dry cake

Reading the crumb

Look at what the cake actually did before deciding what to change.

Dark edges, domed and cracked top, dry throughout

Over-baked, or the oven was too hot. The commonest cause by a distance.

Tight, tough, slightly rubbery crumb

Over-mixed. Too much gluten developed after the flour went in.

Dense, heavy, dry, pale

Too much flour — almost always from measuring by volume rather than weight.

Dry but light and open

Too little fat or sugar, or a recipe scaled down badly.

Dry only at the edges

The tin was too large, or too dark, or too close to an element.

Fine on day one, dry on day two

Stored uncovered, or a low-sugar recipe. Sugar is what holds water in a cake.

The six causes, and what to change

• Over-baking. Start checking ten minutes before the recipe says. A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs, not bone dry — a completely clean skewer usually means you have gone slightly too far.
• An oven that runs hot. Most domestic ovens are out by 10 to 20°C. An oven thermometer costs very little and explains a great deal.
• Over-mixing after the flour. Mix until just combined and stop. Every extra turn builds gluten, and gluten in a cake is toughness.
• Too much flour. Weigh it. A cup scooped from the bag can hold 20% more than a cup spooned and levelled, which is enough to ruin a cake.
• Not enough fat or sugar. Both hold moisture. Reducing sugar by more than about a quarter has consequences beyond sweetness.
• The wrong tin. A larger tin means a thinner cake and a shorter bake; the same time gives you a dry one. A dark tin browns faster than a light one.

Rescuing a cake that is already dry

None of these makes it a good cake. Several make it a good pudding.

• Brush or spoon over a sugar syrup. Equal parts sugar and water, boiled and cooled, optionally with citrus, coffee or alcohol. This is what professional bakers do and it works well.
• Fill and frost it generously. Buttercream, cream or ganache reintroduce fat and moisture and buy a great deal of forgiveness.
• Turn it into a trifle, a tiramisu-style layered pudding, or a bread-and-butter-style bake with custard.
• Blitz it into crumbs for cake pops, a cheesecake base, or a topping for ice cream.
• Warm it and serve it with custard or cream. Warm dry cake with a sauce is a completely acceptable dessert.

Making a cake that stays moist

• Weigh everything, flour especially.
• Do not over-bake. This single change fixes most cases.
• Use an oven thermometer and learn what your oven actually does.
• Include an acidic dairy — buttermilk, yoghurt or soured cream — which tenderises and holds water.
• Consider oil instead of butter for a cake that has to keep. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so an oil-based cake feels moister on day three.
• Wrap it once completely cool. A cake left uncovered on a rack overnight will be dry by morning.
• Brown sugar, honey or golden syrup hold more moisture than white sugar.

Common questions