How To Bake A Moist Cake From Scratch

Ingredients Needed To Bake Moist Cake

All-purpose flour

This is one of the essential ingredients required to bake the cake. When the flour is mixed with other ingredients and water, it gives a defined structure to the cake.

The flour has a protein content that helps the cake to be in place firmly. If you have access to cake flour you can use that, otherwise all-purpose flour is a good choice. 

Baking powder

Baking powder is required to make the cake fluffy by increasing its size. This is possible because the powder is a leavening agent that helps to raise the flour by releasing carbon dioxide when it blends with water and is exposed to heat. As a result, the cake becomes light and soft. 

Baking soda

Baking soda is another essential ingredient that further contributes to raising the cake due to its leavening agent component. Unlike baking powder, the leavening agent in soda gets activated only when it is mixed with buttermilk. This will not only help the cake to rise but also give it a nice brown hue. 

Salt

Salt is used in the cake to enhance the flavors and balance out the sweetness. Along with this, salt also helps to provide strength to the flour, making the cake well-structured. Be cautious while adding salt as it may make the cake salty if you add more than required. 

Granulated sugar

The sugar component helps to add sweetness to the cake, making it more delicious. Along with this, sugar also helps to keep the cake moist and gives a nice brown color while baking.

Here, granulated sugar has tiny crystals like salt and blends easily while whisking the mixture. In case you don't have it, you can use normal sugar but transform the big crystals into smaller ones using a blender or other tools. 

Unsalted butter

Unsalted butter brings out rich flavors and moisture to the cake. As a result, the cake becomes tender. Besides this, it also makes the cake light and airy when mixed with sugar and other ingredients. 

Vegetable oil

The use of oil is crucial to bake the soft and fluffy cake. Oil helps to add moisture to the cake and makes it soft and tender. You can use any vegetable oil that is accessible to you. 

Eggs

Eggs are filled with protein content which holds the ingredients together and helps in giving the desired shape for the cake. Along with this, eggs also add additional moisture and flavor to the cake. 

Buttermilk

The creamy buttermilk is an acidic agent that helps to raise the cake when it is mixed with baking soda. It also contributes to keeping the cake moist and tender. 

Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract is mainly used to add new flavors and enhance the existing ones. In its absence, the cake may taste boring or may not be as flavorful as it is supposed to be. 

Required Tools

• Oven: A well-functioning oven is a must to bake the cake properly so that it turns out to be soft and moist. 
• Mixing bowls: The bowls are needed to mix the ingredients dry as well as wet separately. It's best to have a medium-large size of mixing bowls to make the mixing and whisking process easier. 
• Measuring cups and spoons: These tools are crucial to determine the right amount of ingredients. This is because too little or too much use of ingredients disbalances the texture and flavor of the cake. 
• Hand mixer or stand mixer: A hand or stand mixer is used to mix the dry ingredients and transform them into a liquid consistency batter. 
• Rubber spatula: It is useful to scrap down the sides of the bowl to assemble all the ingredients in a place. 
• Sifter: A sifter is essential to sift the dry ingredients like flour, baking, powder, etc. This filters out the lumps from the dry ingredients and makes the batter smooth. 
• Cake pan: You will need this tool to bake the batter in the oven. It is important to have spacious cake pans to comfortably place the batter and for even cooking. It is best to have a cake pan with a 9-inch round. If you want to bake 2 cakes, you will need two cake pans. 
• Parchment paper: It is used to place inside the cake pans to ensure the easy removal of the cakes after baking. 
• Thermometer: You will need this to check the internal temperature of the cake when the stipulated baking time reaches to check for the doneness. 
• Cooling rack: You can use this rack to place the cake to cool down after the baking is done. As it facilitates easy airflow. 
• Heat-resistant gloves: Its use helps you to take out the hot pan from the oven without letting the heat affect your hands. 

How To Bake Moist Cake

Ingredient Measurements

• All-purpose flour: 320g
• Baking powder: 2.5 teaspoon
• Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
• Unsalted butter: 180ml ( softened)
• Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
• Granulated sugar: 300g
• Vegetable oil: 120ml
• Eggs: 4 large, room temperature
• Buttermilk: 240ml, room temperature
• Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Follow the given easy steps to bake the moist and tender cake at home: 

1. Prepare the baking pan

Begin the process by preparing the baking pans. Grease the cake pan with oil or melted butter. Then, take a parchment paper and line it inside the baking pan.

Ensure the surface and side walls of the pan are properly covered with the paper. This is important to do because it will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. Along with this, the use of parchment paper prevents any cracks or breaking in the cake, making the removal of the cake easy and smooth after baking. 

2. Preheat the oven

Preheating the oven is important as it creates a hot atmosphere inside the oven and helps to bake the cake quickly. So, leave the oven to heat for about 20-30 minutes until the temperature reaches 350°F (175°C). 

3. Mix dry ingredients

Get a bowl and add dry ingredients into that bowl. The ingredients include all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Don't add sugar for now. Use a whisker and mix those dry ingredients well. This will help the ingredients to evenly distribution of leavening agents throughout the batter. 

4. Add the butter and sugar

In this step, add butter in a large mixing bowl and use a stand or hand mixture to blend the butter for 20-30 seconds. Once the butter becomes smooth, add sugar and run the hand mixture for 2-3 minutes or until tiny bubbles start to appear.

Extend the blending time again for 2-3 minutes, if both ingredients are not well mixed. 

Here, you need to take one step at a time. Don't rush to include all ingredients at once. This will lead to an uneven distribution of ingredients in the batter. 

5. Add the oil and eggs 

Pour the vegetable oil into the butter-sugar mixture and blend it well with a hand or stand mixture until combined well. After that, add eggs one at a time and beat well after adding each one.

Before you proceed to add the second egg, make sure the first one combines well into the mixture. Follow the same things until you are done adding all the eggs. The mixture will be smooth and have tiny bubbles. 

6. Alternate adding dry and wet mixture

First start by adding some portion of the dry mixture and some portion of the buttermilk to the butter-sugar-egg mixture. Use a hand or stand mixture and beat the ingredients at a low speed until combined well.

Continue to follow the alternate dry and wet mixture rule and finish this process with the dry mixture. Beat until the mixture turns into a smooth and consistent batter without any trace of lumps. 

The reason behind doing the alternation is to prevent the cake from being tough and dense. This happens when you first add all the dry ingredients and then pour all wet ingredients at once.

This requires you to overmix the batter until it becomes smooth. Overmixing causes the excessive development of gluten resulting in tough and dense cake. 

7. Pour the batter and Bake the cake

Once the batter becomes smooth and consistent, slowly pour it into the cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to even out the batter by spreading it to the edges of the pan.

After that, place the cake pan inside the oven and bake it for about 25-35 minutes. The baking time may vary based on the oven you use and the size of the pans and batter. 

8. Check for the doneness

When the stipulated baking time passes, open the oven and test whether the cake is nicely baked or not. For that, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to the bottom part.

If the toothpick comes out clean or with some crumb on it, then it indicates the cake is ready. Whereas if you see the toothpick with wet batter on it, then it needs more time to bake properly.

Besides that, use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of the cake. If the temperature is around 210°(98°C), know that the cake is baked nicely. 

9. Cool the cake

Take out the cake pans along with the baking rack wearing heat-resistant gloves. Place the cake pans and leave it to cool down for about 10 minutes. During this time, the moisture inside the cake cooled down, eliminating the risk of cracking the cake while removing it from the pan. 

After that, run a knife around the corner of the pan as it will detach the cake from the pan walls. Then, place a wire rack or a wide flattened dish on top of the pan and flip it down. Slowly lift the pan and proceed to decorate the cake according to your liking.

10. Decorate the cake and serve

Use a rubber spatula to apply the cream coating all over the cake. You can add some flowers or petals to give an appealing look. This way you can bake the cake at home and enjoy it with your loved ones. 

Helpful Tips

• Ensure the ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature.
• Use a spacious cake pan to ensure even baking of the cake
• Use measuring spoons to determine an accurate measurement of the ingredients.
• Use a kitchen thermometer to prevent the cake from overcooking or undercooking. 
• Strictly follow the alternate adding dry and wet ingredients step to achieve an ideal texture of the batter. 

How Long To Bake Cake

Baking the cake at home requires careful planning and process. Besides the accurate measurements of ingredients, the baking time also influences the texture and flavor of the cake.

When you try to bake the cake without the knowledge of the exact baking time, either the cake overcooks or undercooks. This only makes you demotivated and frustrated. But no worries, we are here to guide you on this.

Typically, cake takes around 25-35 minutes to be ready in the oven. Once the determined baking time is reached, use an oven thermometer to check the internal temperature of the cake.

When the temperature reaches 210°F (98°C), know the cake is baked fully. This time varies depending on the size of the cake you are preparing. Bigger cakes take longer time to be ready whereas smaller ones bake faster. 

Common Mistakes And Ways To Avoid Them

Baking the cake at home requires careful planning. If one of the things is missed or messed up, then the outcome of the cake may disappoint you. Here are some common mistakes that you may make and ways to avoid them:

1. Overmixing the batter

You may tend to overmix the batter than the required time thinking to make the batter excellent. This will lead to the development of excess gluten which makes the batter dense and tough rather than light and soft. 

To avoid this issue, beat the batter until it becomes lump-free and smooth, and the ingredients are combined well. 

2. Inaccurate measurements

When the wrong measurement of ingredients such as flour, sugar, or leavening agents is used, it makes the cake dense and dry. Either overuse or underuse will cause the dry cake and tough.

So, always use measuring spoons or cups to determine the correct amount of ingredients. As a result, the cake becomes moist and tender after baking.

3. Overbaking

You may tend to overbake the cake to make it extra soft and moist. However, that is not how the temperature works. Overbaking will make the cake dry and tough. So, always bake the cake up to its recommended time and let the time do its magic on your cake. 

4. Not using room temperature ingredients

When you use cold ingredients like eggs, butter, and buttermilk, it prevents the ingredients from blending well. This leads to a dense and tougher cake. So, It is advised to use ingredients that are kept at room temperature before using them.

This will help in an easy mixture of all ingredients, making the batter smooth and lump-free. 

5. Opening the oven door too early

Don't open the oven door before the recommended baking time. This will cause the steam to escape from the oven fluctuating the inside temperature and affecting the texture of the cake. So, it is better to set a timer to know when to open the door. 

6. Using the wrong size of cake pan 

The use of the wrong cake pan also affects the texture of the cake. Using a small cake pan causes the overflow of the cake and makes it undercooked in the center part. Whereas, a large cake pan makes the batter spread thinly, leading the cake to dry. So, use the cake pan that fits the size of your desired cake. 

If you are planning to make a smaller cake, use small to medium-sized cake pans. Whereas for bigger cakes, use larger ones. 

7. Not using moisture enhancers

When you skip the use of moisture enhancers like buttermilk or any whipping cream, the cake gets dry and tough after baking. To avoid this, incorporate the required moist-based ingredients properly and include them in the right amount.