Simple Ways to Keep Your Cake Soft (or Make it Soft Again)

The texture of cake is something on which most people can agree. Unlike cookies, which may be crunchy or chewy, cake has to be soft.

I’ve yet to encounter someone who appreciates crispy cake. Nevertheless, if you’ve ever prepared a cake or even simply bought one, you’ll know that after a few days, the cake becomes dry, crumbly, and a touch crispy—all of which are undesirable traits in a cake.

So, how can you keep your cake fluffy and fresh on the first day? There are several options! Let’s explore the world of delicate, fluffy pastries!

Check read our article on easy methods to keep your cookies moist as well!

Making Soft Cakes

Of course, you must first bake a soft cake in order to keep it soft. This entails adhering to a few fundamental criteria while baking.

Do Not Over Bake Your Cake

If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate your birthday, here is the place to be.

This may be hard since testing the doneness of your cake too soon will result in the cake sinking and there will be no salvaging it.

What I propose is that you check your cake a few minutes before the minimum length of time specified in the recipe.

Thus, if your recipe indicates the cake should bake for 40-50 minutes, check it at 35 minutes to see where you’re at.

How can you tell whether your cake is done? Easy! Insert a toothpick or knife into the middle of the cake. The cake is done when the tool comes out clean with no sticky batter!

You may also lightly touch the top of the cake directly in the middle with your fingertips. The cake is done when it springs back and there are no fingerprints where you touched it.

Pulling your cake out of the oven when it is almost done will allow it to keep moisture. Leaving it in the oven for longer will cause more water to evaporate from the cake, resulting in a dry, crumbly dessert.

Of course, burning the cake would be disastrous, and those dark brown or black borders would almost surely be crunchy rather than soft.

I know it’s easier said than done, but baking the cake for the exact length of time will be really beneficial. After you’ve determined how much time your cake recipe requires, make a note of it so that the next time you bake, you’ll know how long to set the timer!

You’re almost halfway to a delicious soft cake!

Sugar is Always Important

When you look at a cake recipe, you may say, “Wow, that’s a lot of sugar.” Although some individuals strive to reduce the amount of sugar in their recipes, don’t!

Since you’re creating dessert, it’s good for it to be sweet! Another reason to preserve the sugar is because sugar is hygroscopic, which means it draws and holds water as the cake bakes.

This keeps your cake moist and tender even after it’s cooked because sugar continues to collect moisture from the air and transport it into the cake.

Thank you, sugar, for producing such tender pastries!

Bye Bye Butter

If you want to make a moist cake, substitute the butter in a cake recipe with a fruit puree such as apple sauce. The fiber in the fruit puree absorbs and retains moisture, making your cake extra moist.

Substituting half the butter, or even the whole quantity, may result in a soft cake, but be mindful that substituting the butter will result in a considerably denser cake.

If you like rich, moist cakes, this is the recipe for you!

Syrup

Adding syrup to a cake is a last option for saving a cake that has become too dry.

After constructing the cake after it has cooked, add simple syrup to the cake layers using a pastry brush. Using syrup straight on a cake will certainly add moisture and soften it.

Soak any excess crispy edge bits to soften them. This is also an excellent technique to enhance the taste of your cake. To enhance the flavor, make a simple syrup with vanilla extract or lemon zest.

Thank goodness for baking methods that may salvage a dry cake!

Understanding how to create a soft cake is vital, but so is selecting the correct baking pan.

Keeping The Cake Soft

After you’ve mastered the fluffy, soft cake, the true magic begins. Nobody wants to spend time baking a soft cake only to find it hard and dry the following day.

It’s also lovely to be able to create a cake ahead of time (maybe for a party or get-together) and know it’ll still taste good a few days later.

So, how are you going to keep that cake moist and wonderful for days on end?

Wrap it Up

Wrap it up, wrap it up, wrap it up. I cannot emphasize this more! If you want your cake to remain fresh and soft, it must be wrapped, covered, and kept away from air.

Air will quickly suck the moisture out of your cake, leaving you with a dry, crumbly cake.

Plastic wrap directly on the cake works best, but if you don’t want to ruin your decorations or simply want to show off your beautiful cake, consider a cake stand with a cover- they make fantastic center pieces!

Fruit and Bread

As you’re surely seeing, air plays a significant role in keeping a cake moist or drying it out, therefore let’s attempt to regulate the air!

On a piece of ordinary bread or a few slices of apples, store the cake. Both the bread and the apple are wet, which will make the air surrounding the cake damp. The cake will then absorb the moisture and remain soft!

Although the apple pieces may provide a small apple taste to your cake (which isn’t necessarily a terrible thing), the plain bread will not, so select your weapon carefully!

Ice It and Freeze It

Using frosting as a sealant is one approach to keep cakes moist. When a cake is totally frosted on the exterior, the cake itself is completely preserved on the inside. Buttercream frosting is exceptionally good at this.

Cover a frosted cake in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until ready to serve. Just remove the cake from the oven, allow it to cool to room temperature, and then cut a large piece.

It’s a new day, and you’re the icing on the cake, so thank you for your patience.

Skip the Fridge

Although it may seem instinctive to put a cake in the refrigerator, keeping it at room temperature can help it remain soft. The refrigerator is an extremely dry environment that rapidly draws moisture from a cake.

Cakes that are room temperature also taste better; who wants to eat a cold cake?

Absolutely, certain cakes, such as those with whipped cream topping or fresh fruit in between the layers, must be refrigerated. In this scenario, cover the cake tightly before storing it in the refrigerator.

Microwave It

Maybe your cake wasn’t properly kept, or maybe it’s simply over its optimum shelf life of roughly a week, but it’s starting to turn hard.

Microwave it for 15 seconds after slicing it. This will slowly warm your cake and soften it significantly.

If you use this approach to soften your cake rapidly, I suggest eating it right away. In a matter of minutes, a piece of cake will transform from pleasant and soft to much harder than before.

Nevertheless, after the cake slice has been microwaved, you will be unable to resist it!

We Love Cake!

You are now ready to create and store a soft cake that you have learned how to bake and keep soft. Yeah, and eat as well.

Enjoy that delicious soft cake!

Are you looking for additional cake making advice? See our article for some of our favorite cake making techniques and methods.