Terry’s Guide to Achieving Soft, Fluffy and Moist Cakes
One question I get often is “Terry, how can I make my cakes soft, fluffy and moist?” The goal of every baker is to arrive at some or all of these after baking their cakes. Below I will be sharing a few tricks I have acquired over the years on how to achieve soft, fluffy and moist cakes. Please note that it is possible for a cake to be fluffy and not moist. It is thus beneficial for you to know exactly what you want to achieve in order for the rules below to guide you. I will divide the tips into various sub headings for easier appreciation.
(A) WORKING WITH A RECIPE
I cannot emphasize this enough. Take the guess work out of baking. Baking is as much an art as it is a science. In order to achieve consistent results, we need to work with recipes. Gone are the days when we baked solely based on our intuition. If you choose to alter a recipe during baking, take note of that alteration. That way you know what to repeat or avoid the next time you are baking that type of cake. If you want to try some of my tested and trusted cake recipes, they can be found here.
(B) TYPE OF CAKE
It is instructive to note that some types of cakes like carrot cakes, red velvet cakes and some types of chocolate cakes are naturally moist. Cakes with high liquid ratios are also usually moist. Sponge cakes like my French Vanilla Sponge cake are naturally fluffy while vanilla cakes are usually not as moist and fluffy. Knowing what to expect from a particular type of cake would help you make a decision on the type of cake which will fit your goal. Having good knowledge of the characteristics of various types of cakes is thus an asset.
(C) CHOOSING YOUR INGREDIENTS
The type of ingredients you use to bake your cakes have a huge role to play in the fluffiness and moistness of your cakes. Below are a few tips:
(i) Use cake flour in place of all purpose flour. Cake flour is flour which has been mixed with some corn starch in order to make it lighter. Cakes baked with cake flour are usually lighter and softer than cakes baked with all purpose flour. You can make your own cake flour at home using the tips I provide here.
(ii) Using butter in place of margarine not only adds richness to your cakes but also moisture. Margarine and other vegetable fats have more water in them which evaporate during baking. Butter on the other hand has more fat ratio, thus locking in a lot of moisture in the cake.
(iii) Substituting some butter with oil in a recipe always leads to moist cakes. When baking cupcakes, all of the butter should be substituted with oil as cupcakes dry out easily. I have a recipe here for moist vanilla cupcakes.
(iv) Consider substituting milk for buttermilk. Buttermilk has a high acidic content which breaks down the gluten in flour, thus making cakes softer. If you are going to use buttermilk in a recipe which does not include baking soda, consider adding a little bit of baking soda to the recipe. You can make your own buttermilk at home using the tips I provide here.
(D) MIXING THE BATTER
When mixing the cake batter, there are a few thing to look out for.
(i) If using the creaming method of mixing the butter and sugar first, be sure to incorporate as much air into the mixture as possible. Trapped in air will help make your cake light and fluffy. Having said that, do not over do it. I have heard of people creaming for up to 30 minutes. 5 minutes with a stand mixer is more than enough time.
(ii) The opposite is the case after flour has been added. Do not over mix the batter after you have added flour. Over-mixing will make the cake dense and hard after baking. Always use the alternate method of adding flour and milk in various additions (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). This will ensure that you do not over mix the batter. If you are using a stand mixer, stop the machine after most of the flour has been incorporated and mix in the rest using a spatula.
(iii) To get extra fluffy cakes especially when making vanilla cakes, separate the egg whiles from the egg yolk. Make the batter with the egg yolks, beat the egg whites separately into stiff peaks and fold into the batter in the end. You can read more on this method in my French Vanilla Sponge cake recipe, Queen of Sheba cake recipe or my Coconut Sponge cake recipe.
(E) BAKING
Over baking your cakes could be a problem. Below are a few tips for avoiding this:
(i) Try dividing your batter into 2 baking pans as opposed to pouring all the batter into a deep baking pan. The more batter poured in a pan, the longer you will need to bake the cake, the more chances the cake will dry out during baking.
(ii) Be vigilant while your cake is in the oven. Over baking a cake is sure to make it dry. Cakes should be taken out of the oven as soon as a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and not a second after. Always note the advised baking time for the recipe you are using and start checking 5 minutes earlier.
(iii) If your cake is taking too long to bake, covering the top of the cake with parchment paper will not only prevent the cake from browning too much but will also prevent it from drying out.
(F) STORING AND FROSTING
(i) Make sure your cakes cool down completely before storing them in a fridge. Before placing them in a fridge, seal them properly with cling film. Exposed cakes will dry out over time. Sealing helps lock in moisture.
(ii) Using a simple syrup is a great way of adding moisture to your cakes. Directions on how to make simple syrup can be found here. To use, pour some syrup over your cake slices before frosting the cake.
Applying some or all of the tips above is sure to lead to better results during baking. Happy caking!
Found these tips helpful? Read my post on How to Avoid Air Pockets and Bulges on Cakes.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Thanks so much for this tip, but please will the syrup not affect the cake if is not consume immediately and do I have to add buttercream to the syrup before putting it on the cake.
On the contrary, the syrup will increase the shelf life of the cake as it contains sugar. Sugar preserves. To apply, drizzle the syrup on the cake slices before applying the buttercream.
Wonderful tips…thank you so much Terry
You are welcome.
Thank u Terry, this is very helpful.
You are welcome.
Tnks terry, stay bless
You are welcome Comfort
Tnx sooooooo much
Thank you so much, u just made my day, u need to see how I was jotting as if I was in a class.
You are welcome Momabams.
You are welcome Ogechi.
Thanks Terry! I’m inspired to start baking again. I had a good run for years doing both commercial and private baking but I lost my mojo several years ago after a couple of disasters plus the stress of the 9 to 5 hustle. This post has given me confidence and revived the cake maker in me and I’m now good to go! My family is in for a treat 🙂 God bless you.
Thanks Onyinye. I am glad to hear you wanna go back to baking. A few treats for the family once in a while is a good way to get the ball rolling. Then the occasional cake for a picnic, and before you know it, friends would want your cakes. I am sure you are all to familiar with this cycle 🙂
Terry U are Wonderful thanks so much.
You are welcome Joke.
Thank you so much for always sharing, it has been very useful. God bless you.
You are welcome Georgina.
Thanks Terry. God bless u real good.
You are welcome Lorlah
Thank you so much for your tips…
You are welcome Tolu.
Hi Terry. Thanks for the wonderful tips. I find that when a recipe calls for Butter and Margarine is used, something goes terribly wrong. Could it be the measurement or something? Do you think you can do a post about it? All your cake recipes apart from the Nigerian Cake calls for Butter and seeing as butter is quite expensive in Nigeria, it discourages me from trying out the recipes to avoid any hazard. I have tried the Nigerian Cake though and it turned out very well. Thank you again for all you do. God go make you bigger. 😀
You have raised an important point Toju. Butter cannot be substituted for margarine in all recipes. But for the most part, the two are interchangeable. I personally know of how expensive butter is in some countries. I am also aware of the power situation in some countries which does not encourage butter storage. I will look into writing a post on the subject. Thanks.
Hello Terry. Thanks for showing much love to your followers by responding to their posts. I am really interested in the margarine for butter in cake recipes…waiting to see your post soonest
Thanks Abimbola. Technically, any recipe which uses butter can be substituted with margarine.
Thanks a lot Terry for ur inspiring lesson,I have learnt alot from u,lately,as some one said earlier on,I have a note from d lessons I get from u.itz making me a better by d day,GOD bless and cont to inspire u .
Thanks Miracle.
I m exactly in the same shoes as Onyinye. I used to do well and a lot of friends wanted my cake but suddenly my cakes started becoming dry and hard… I couldnt explain. So I lost d flare… My friends still eat the cakes and tell me that its good but deep inside I knew some thing was missing. Thank you so much.God bless you.
You are welcome Chidinma. I’m glad you are considering going back to baking.
Beautiful tips Mr. Terry. What’s your take on using buttermilk in place of milk? Does it make any significant difference? Thanks in anticipation
Oh yes it does! I should update the post and include that. Due to its acidic nature, it tenderizes the gluten in cakes, thus making the cake softer. Thank you for your amazing question.
tanks alot, ave learnt sum new things today
You are welcome Aminat. Glad I could help.
Thanks so much for this information. I’m going to give it a trial.But sincerely didn’t get d measurements of d sugar and water for d sugar syrup.
You are welcome. There is no measurement for the simple syrup. It all depends on how large the cake is. You can do half a cup or sugar and water or a whole cup of each or any other quantity of your choice. Leftover syrup can be stored in the fridge and reheated before using. Reheated as the syrup thickens when cool and you want it to be thin.
You are the best! Keep it up.
Thanks
Thanks terry. Amazing info there I must say. Caking is my passion and getting better at it my Ernest desire. Buttermilk isn’t available here. Any homemade recipe you can share? Thanks.
Thanks Uduak. You can find a substitution here.
Thank you Terry!!!!!
You are welcome Teejay.
Thanks Terry for this great tips, you really fanned the baking in me to flame.
You are welcome Valentina.
Thank you so much.Your tips have always been helpful.kudos
Thanks Buki.
thank u soo much terry
You are welcome Queen
Tnks so much terry,u r amazing,may God bless u alwz.pls considering d cost of butter here in Nigeria can we use margarine.pls can u give me Nigeria recipe?tnks in advance
Hi. I have a recipe here for the Nigerian style cake. You can use it and use all margarine.
hi Terry my question is off topic. i intend making 48 cupcakes tomorrow but with no toppings. so i intend to use basic caramel just on the top of a few. Now after making the caramel how do i drizzle it on the top cos it’ll be too hot to put inside a piping bag and if i wait for too long it’ll harden before i get to use it. Help a sister out.
I’m not sure what you mean by basic caramel. Caramel sauce does not harden after hours of sitting. In any event, you can dip a spoon in the caramel and wave the tip of the spoon over the cupcakes to drip the caramel over them.
Great tips. Thanks a lot.
You are welcome Kamila.
thanks sir for this information. i have discovered dt my cakes are fluffy at the top but dense and hard at the bottom. i wonder y dt is sir
Uneven oven heat. Too much fat in the recipe.
i have also discovered that once my cake cools, it shrinks and reduce in size. i dont kno y sir
That is normal Aisha.
Thanks Oga Terry,God bless you real good. I need to bake a red velvet cake tomorrow morning and am confused with the recipe can you kindly put me through? Thanks
The recipe is here.
I bless the day i found Grated nutmeg.May God continue to increase you Terry. Thank you.
Thanks Suzzan.
Tanks so much sir God bless u very much and prosper ur hand work.tanks sir.
You are welcome Dorcas.
Terry,thanks for d eye opener.Pls can margarine be increased to substitute for d moistness of butter
No it cannot be increased.
please since milk reduces the shelf life of a cake, is buttermilk a better option as it has some form of acid in it.
Hi. No buttermilk would not be a better alternative.
thank you sir. i really appreciate ur response
You are welcome.
Hello Terry, am a beginner. I wanna know what preservative can keep a cake to last for 6-12mnths. I read abt cakes made fr weddings that lasted that long. Hoping to get a sincere response. Tnk U.
Click on this link.
I will keep learning from your skills, best work ever,dreaming to grow up and be better than my teacher Terry. Ko ba haka ba?
Haka ne. Thanks.
Thanks a lot Terry! Great tips for great cakes! Never knew ALL d butter in cupcake recipe could be substituted with oil! hmmm, tnx again!
You are welcome Ixonah. Yeah it makes the cupcakes moist.
Hi Terry thanks for the good work you are doing. Please what can I substitute for buttermilk. Because once I used butter milk and my cake got bad the next day. Thank you for your time.
Hi. I am certain the buttermilk you used wasn’t the reason your cake got bad. Having said that, these a tips for achieving soft and fluffy cakes. If you are skeptical about working with buttermilk, you might wanna skip that tip as there are no substitutes.
I noticed u av talked about pouring syrup to maintain moisture in a cake bfor frosting.can u also use maple or golden syrup.
I won’t use them alone. Simple syrup always contains water and a sweetener and optionally, some flavor. I’d boil the maple or golden syrup with some water to thin them out.
Terry please I’d like to have your coconut cake recipe. Thank you
I have one here.
Terry thanks for these tips. Ive been having problems with a lemon cake that uses the creaming method. When i bake it it comes out great in flavor but hard. The texture is all wrong. I saw how im supoused to cream the bitter and the sugar for no more than five minutes but at what speed? Thanks again for this it is really helpful
You are welcome. At medium or medium-high speed.
Terry,
I am back to your posts again. I will be using these tips for my son’s 2nd birthday cake. I used your cake board tutorial for his first birthday and I have tried a number of your recipes with success.
Thank you for sharing selflessly.
Congratulations on masterchef Canada. I was so excited when I saw the post. I wish you great success!
Thanks Cindy. I appreciate your feedback and support.
i can’t thank u enough. You are a blessing to me and others
Its my pleasure Temitope.
He terry thank u sooo sooo much for the tips !!!!!!! And I made a cake and it’s awesome cause of u
You are welcome William Jones. I am glad I could help.
Hey, I have a question. Does pound cake supposed to be soft moist fluffy. I’m not sure. Can you help me out?
Hi Victoria. No. Its supposed to be dense and not as fluffy as most vanilla cakes.
I’ m using your advice, which is great. Could hoy help me, how do you cool a cake so it doesn’t flatten? I think I’m cooling it wrong.
I cool cakes on wire racks. They should be cooled right side up and not upside down.
Thank you for the helpful tips!
You are welcome Jessica.
Hi, Mr. Terry..you mentioned that ” To get extra fluffy cakes especially when making vanilla cakes, separate the egg whites from the egg yolk.” Can ds method by applied when baking a Chocolate wedding cake.
.
I have never seen this method used for chocolate cakes before as chocolate cakes are usually moist and dense. But yeah, technically it can. I’m not sure what you mean by Chocolate wedding cake though. Any chocolate cake can be used as a wedding cake.
Thank you soon much Terry, Ur a shoulder to lean on indeed. More wisdom for you, I pray……..
Thanks Gracey.
I tried your recipe 2 days ago and it was the best cake in years i baked in years. Ive been receiving sms and cimments from church where we used it for thanksgiving service today. So tasty and fluffy. Fruit and vanulla cake mabled together.
You are indeed a generous man to share your ideas in a simple form. Bible says’He that waters shall be watered’i pray you shall never lack good things and up you go in life and destiny. Thank you.
Thanks Biz. Glad you all loved it.
How come I did not know about this webpage Very educative tips learnt a lot thank u
I am glad to hear that.
Wow. Love your tips. Thank you so much. Will incorporate your method in my next cake batch 🙂
You are welcome Hadeel.
Thanks so much Terry.God bless
Thanks Tolu.
Wow,Terry u are such an ‘eye-opener!’ I can now see where my lapses lie.
Am so thankful!
You are welcome Sade.
Terry, I think you are simply magnificent and selfless! Thank you so much for these tips. I will certainly be trying out the liquid syrup. God bless you!!
Thanks Sumbo. Do try it out.
Terry, your responses and answers are great for some beginners. I have twin girls that are 9 years old that started a baking business that bake cupcakes and cookies. To tell you the truth their business has kicked off very well to be 9. They love Cupcake Wars and this show inspired them. I, (mom) can bake but of course not a professional. When they get an order for cupcakes they prepare them overnight and refrigerate them. What is the best solution to keep them fresh overnight with buttercream icing or other icing. I was told that if the cupcakes have buttercream icing, it is best to refrigerate them due to PS items. Please help with this matter. What advise can you give some beginner bakers for their business.
Hi Casteel, its great to hear that your girls are baking at such an early age. That is very impressive! Unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to answer your question as I never make cupcakes the day before. Cupcakes dry out easily and freshness is key. I ALWAYS make and frost them the day they are needed. Luckily, cupcakes are easy to make and bake fast. I hope other bakers here will read your question and come to your rescue. Thanks.
Thank you for the quick response. I will pass your message to the girls
Hi, Terry
If I double the egg for extra lightness, do I need to decrease that volume somewhere else to compensate, such as oil or liquid??
Do not double the eggs in a recipe unless the recipe calls for it. Eggs do more than add liquid to recipes.
Hi Terry please can I use pastry flour -soft wheat to make the French vanilla cake can’t seem to get either all purpose or cake flour and how do I measure . Thanks a mill.
Pastry and cake flours are interchangeable, so yes.
Finally I can get to bake.lol.am trying it out for my son’s first birthday party this weekend.fingers crossed.thanks Terry.so so grateful. God bless you abundantly.
Awesome! All the best with the cake 🙂
Thanks so much Terry. This is exactly what I need.
You are welcome Iyi.
How can you differentiate cake flour from purpose flour? What kind of milk can we use in Nigeria for baking?
The label on the packet will state. Powdered or evaporated mixed with water.
Please Terry what is alternative to cream of tartar?
None I know of.
Its been a long while since i last visited your site. Im here because i want to retrace my steps as well as do better in my baking. I’d be working with your Nigerian Cake recipe,I will used margarine only and wont add milk at all(since its a threat to my cake lasting longer) but i want it moist and fluffy,i want to find out the following:- 1) Can i use cake flour in place of all purpose flour as called for in the Nigerian cake recipe? 2) Can i substitute part of the margarine with oil(as seen in the tips above)? If yes,when can i add the oil to the cake batter? 3) Even though im not using buttermilk,can i use baking soda? If yes, in what quantity? I look forward to your response. Thank you very much.
Hi Blessing. (1) Yes. (2) No. (3) No.
Thank you Terry,i’d hid to your reply.
Hi Terry, your post was very informative. Do you have any cake recipes which uses only wheat flour and not the all purpose flour(refined flour). Is it possible to achieve soft,fluffy and moist cakes when made with whole wheat flour.
Thanks,
Div
Hi Divya. Unfortunately I have no experience baking cakes with whole wheat flour. I thus cannot offer any advice on it.
1. If I dont use buttermilk for cupcakes, will there be any significant difference in the taste and freshness? 2. How can I keep my cupcakes to last longer if I make them a day before delivering them.
Thanks so much for d detailed tutorials. God bless you more.
(1) Buttermilk makes cakes softer. It has no effect on taste and freshness. (2) Keep them in a sealed cake box. Keep them in the fridge.
Pls one last question. Can I omit d buttermilk from d recipe because whenever I use milk for my cakes, d cake gets bad the following day or two days after. Secondly, if it’s possible to omit d buttermilk, what can I replace it with to make d cake softer. Thank you.
There is no replacement for buttermilk aside other dairy products and none-dairy milks like almond milk.
Thanks so much.
You are welcome Funmi.
Thanks for the great tips.
You are welcome Gede.
Hello Terry,
Thank you for your amazing tips. I just spent two hours browsing through your web pages and it has wonderful tips for an amateur baker like me.
I have one question. I am allergic to eggs so i replace it with yogurt in all my cakes. Off late, my cakes are getting hard after frosting. I am thinking of using buttermilk instead of milk. Will that help, considering i already have yogurt in my cake. Also, my original recipe has baking soda.
Thanks,
Sim
Buttermilk will make your cakes more tender.
Thanks Terry.. Will definitely try this out..
In the meantime I did get good softer cakes by tweaking my recipe a little bit.
1) Add 3tsp vegetable oil
2) Gently fold after adding dry ingredients instead of using hand mixer.
Thanks for your tips Sim.
This has been very helpful. Thanks
You are welcome Debbie.
Thanks Terry for these insights. I’m an amateur baker,and I’ve been having issues with my cakes. They always come out heavy, though d teast is OK,but am really concerned about d heaviness. Pls help a soul. Thanks
You should try the tips here and see if they improve.
Thanks for sharing these tips Terry. I really appreciate that. Just a quick question: If I want to substitute milk for buttermilk, what should be the ratio? is it 1:1 (I mean 1 tablespoon milk -> 1 tablespoon buttermilk)
Yes Bhumita.
Hello Terry! Thank you for the detailed tutorial, very helpful tips indeed. I have a few questions please. 1)You recommend that if using buttermilk in a recipe which does not originally include baking soda, to include a little baking soda. My question is should the baking powder quantity in the recipe be altered a bit to make room for the addition of the little baking soda, or the baking soda should be added without any alteration? 2. This is quite off topic though. You recommend cooling a Cake with the top side up, and not upside down. How do you manage to do this if baking with a regular pan, and not a springform pan, with the cake straight out of the oven? Thanks. May God bless you, always.
(1) I’m sure adding about 1/2 teaspoon of BS to the recipe would not significantly alter the outcome of the cake.
(2) Remove the cake from the pan when it has cooled down a bit by inverting the pan on to a cooling rack. Place another rack on top of the inverted cake and flip the cake and racks over.
Good Morning. Terry. I would like to know the recipe of how to make Sugar Icing to cover the cake instead of butter icing because some of my customers they prefer sugar icing than butter icing. Thanks Terry.
You are looking for this recipe I believe.
Thanks a lot that idea really helped me
You are welcome Chinny.
Wow! This piece is a priced one. Thanks Mr TERRY
You are welcome Smilz.
Thanks for fanning the embers of baking in me with your detailed post,and how you connect one to another to ensure we get the best result is amazing. God bless u sir.
You are welcome Elohor.
Thanks very helpful tips
You are welcome Peju.
Hi Terry,can I use cake flour for Nigerian cake? Thanks.
Yes Nike.
Hai Terry,Thank you very much,but I had a problem with rich fruit cake when I sliced it became crumbs and broke down didn’t get a full slice of it. Plz reply
There could be several reasons that your cakes turn out dry and crumbly: Using too much flour can cause a cake to become dry. Batter that is improperly mixed or under mixed can cause the cake to be crumbly.