AI need some advise! I've been using the same white sour cream cake recipe for over 6 months now and it's always been moist and delicious. This week I made 2 cakes using the same recipe, one covered with buttercream and fondant and the other covered with buttercream and sprinkling sugar to make it "glittery". I always contact the customer the day after to make sure everything turned out alright and both of the ladies were happy with their cakes, (one new customer and one repeat customer). The new customer had the fondant cake and raved how good everything was, the repeat customer said it was yummy when I spoke to her, but texted me this morning saying she really didn't want to hurt my feelings, but that the cake was dry! For cakes due on Saturday, I always bake and cover with Saran wrap on Thursday, frost and decorate on Friday and deliver on Saturday. I put the cake in the freezer and the refrigerator a few minutes before frosting them, but did not freeze. After decorating both cakes were left at room temperature until pickup. Could the central air conditioning be part of the problem? I live in Wyoming, so we're a dry climate, but it hasn't seemed to cause problems before. Could going from freezer to fridge to frosting then back in the fridge to crust before finishing the decorating be the problem? I need some help! Thanks for any suggestions.

over baked is my guess/professional opinion -- none of the steps you listed would cause it to stale

best to you

Have you bought a new oven recently?  When I bought a new oven, my cakes came out dry and I bought a thermometer to put in oven and found out it was 25 degrees hotter than what I put the oven on. So now I have to set the oven 25 degrees lower. If you have the same oven then maybe someone here can suggest something else of what may be happening. 

when you say cover with saran wrap -- you are covering tightly yes?

and here's my suggestion -- see if you might like to use a simple syrup 'splash' on your cakes -- simple syrup of course is 50/50 sugar and water boiled till clear, cooled and used as is or add a flavor-- a lorann oil or an extract or a liqueur -- then brush or squirt onto baked cake as you build/fill/ice your cakes -- enhances the moisture content --

best to you

AThank you

ANo it's my same oven, but when I started barking about 1 1/2 years ago I did get a thermometer and it does run about 15 degrees hot-so I always turn down from what's called for. Thank you

AI will try the simple syrup Thanks again for your suggestions. I appreciate the responses.

do your cakes bake with a deep or dark crust? if yes then you might want to trim that off right away (after the cake cools) because the moisture in the cake levels out all over and the drier edges pull the moisture from the middle --

if you are having trouble getting the middle baked off -- you can loosely tent the top with a greased piece of foil at that point where everything but the middle is cooked -- if you do it earlier it will mar the top and sink in -- and leave the foil on there even after you take it out of the oven makes a big difference getting that pesky center done without incinerating the edges --

another thing you can do to get the middle to bake as fast as the edges -- fold up some foil with legs on the bottom -- like the picture -- slides out easy when the cake is hot -- use as many as you need --

it's just a flat folded piece of foil then just cut one end up the middle and bend those flaps out in either direction and stick it down in the batter --

♥

AHa! K8 that looks so smart!... All this time I have been using my good ole metallic rose nail to do that...! I must give your tip a try, best part is that I can put in as many as I need.

Thanks! ^_^

you're welcome! 

You are a mine of info K8 x

I think I know how you must feel. Two days ago a customer called me and said my scratch cake was "dry and flavorless." THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE IN UMPTEEN YEARS! It was her bridal shower cake and now she is concerned about her wedding cake. I'd refund her money and send her somewhere else, but the wedding is too close. Now I have started making one or two cupcakes with each batch of cake batter I bake. This way I can test the cake and be sure it's delicious before I send it out. I never want to hear those words again.