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a785girll
Newbie
Joined: Nov 30, 2006
Posts: 7
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 Posted:
Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:50 am |
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Hello All
I keep trying and tying to make a homemade cake but it keeps coming out very dry and tasteless I need any and everyone that can help solve this problem to text me back TIA |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:59 am |
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What recipe are you using? Gotta know that first. |
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prterrell
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 20, 2007
Posts: 2629
Location: Newnan, GA
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:56 am |
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Yup. Need to see the recipe. |
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a785girll
Newbie
Joined: Nov 30, 2006
Posts: 7
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:13 pm |
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i just followed the receipe on the back of the box of swans cake flour 1234 cake |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:15 pm |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:22 pm |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:25 pm |
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I would a., sub out the milk for buttermilk, b., make sure you are creaming the holy heck out of the butter and sugar, really until is almost double in volume, and fluffy and pale yellow, and c. lower your baking temp to 325. |
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prterrell
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 20, 2007
Posts: 2629
Location: Newnan, GA
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:54 pm |
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I also use Swan's cake flour, but as I transfer the flour to a cannister (found a dead scorpion in a box that I had stored in cabinet after opening once, so now it goes in an air tight cannister so nothing gets in there), I do not have the box on hand to reference the recipe.
Based on the recipe to which Jamie linked, here are my recommendations:
Use butter NOT margarine and increase to 1.5 cups
Make sure the butter is room temp (at least 65 def F)
Eggs and milk should also be room temp and either use buttermilk or whole milk and increase to 1-1/4 cups
Cream the butter before adding the sugar, you want the butter to be soft and light before you add the sugar
Scrape the bowl, then add the sugar, make sure you cream the sugar and butter together until it is very light and fluffy (sugar grains should be practically undetectable to the eye and color should be a very very very pale yellow)
Sif the flour BEFORE you measure it
Do NOT dip the measuring cup into the flour and scoop it out, instead, spoon sifted flour into the measuring cup and then level with the top of the cup with a butter knife, do NOT pack the flour into the cup with the spoon, also make sure you are using a measuring cup designed for measuring dry goods, not one designed for measuring liquid
Then RESIFT the flour with the other dry ingredients before adding to the liquid ingredients
DO add eggs one at a time and beat until the egg has completely dissappeared before adding the next one
Go ahead an add the extracts at this point.
Then add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened
Then add 1/3 of the milk (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp + 2 tsp is 1/3 of 1-1/4 cups) and mix until just incorporated
repeat additions until all dry ingredients and milk are added, them mix just enough for the batter to come together and be smooth, at this point should be LESS than 30 seconds.
Bake at 325 NOT 350
HTH! |
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patticakesnc
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Oct 01, 2006
Posts: 1648
Location: Catawba NC
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:04 pm |
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where's the oil? I have made scratch with crisco and it is dry, sub oil and it is moist.
I see butter, doesn't seem like enough fat to me. |
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Musings9
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 08, 2009
Posts: 52
Location: Farmville, VA
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:18 pm |
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Maybe a moistening syrup could be used. |
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prterrell
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 20, 2007
Posts: 2629
Location: Newnan, GA
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:52 pm |
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| patticakesnc wrote: | where's the oil? I have made scratch with crisco and it is dry, sub oil and it is moist.
I see butter, doesn't seem like enough fat to me. |
Butter has plenty enough fat in it (it's almost 100% fat). Cake does not require oil in order to be moist. There is an entire class of cakes called "butter cakes". They contain no oil and are moist and delicious.  |
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indydebi
Forum Matriarch
Joined: Jul 07, 2006
Posts: 22137
Location: Indianapolis IN
Birthday: Jan 19
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:56 pm |
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| prterrell wrote: |
DO add eggs one at a time and beat until the egg has completely dissappeared before adding the next one |
I see this in directions frequently, but have never understood why this makes a difference in beating one egg at a time or beating all of them until they disappear. Can you educate me on why this method works best? (I'm not a scratch baker, so it's ok to dumb it down for me!  ) |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:36 pm |
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Oi! Totally missed the margarine part. Margarine has no place in a scratch cake...in my little old opinion. |
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patticakesnc
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Oct 01, 2006
Posts: 1648
Location: Catawba NC
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:48 pm |
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| prterrell wrote: | | patticakesnc wrote: | where's the oil? I have made scratch with crisco and it is dry, sub oil and it is moist.
I see butter, doesn't seem like enough fat to me. |
Butter has plenty enough fat in it (it's almost 100% fat). Cake does not require oil in order to be moist. There is an entire class of cakes called "butter cakes". They contain no oil and are moist and delicious. |
Yes but again a solid fat and a liquid fat makes a huge difference in the moistness of a cake. Just like I said about the crisco vs oil in cakes I have made. They call for shortening but they are dry...sub oil and you have a great moist cake. |
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__Jamie__
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5024
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
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Wed Nov 04, 2009 8:03 pm |
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Patti....a cake that is made with oil has a moistness that is, well, honestly greasy. A moist butter only cake has no grease feel/texture. I don't know if that really makes a lot of sense, but I know butter only scratchers know what I mean. It's a cake mix kind of moistness that you get from oil. So, it's kind of not "moist", it's closer to just being oily. I dunno. I'm not shunning that kind of cake, but lots of folks (I think) don't think a butter cake is moist, when really, it is. Just not to the point that an oil based recipe will be.
Eh....I hope that made sense. |
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