You follow the recipe that everyone else says makes a moist cake and yours turns out dry. Why is that and what can you do to prevent it?
Why is my cake dry? is the most common question that I get asked - and I think it's the single biggest deterrent to home-baking. So if your cake turns out dry, try these remedies.
1. The oven was too hot
I know! You set the oven to the temperature the recipe said, but just check out these three possibilities:
- Fan oven? - Check that the temperature you used was for your type of oven because a fan oven needs a lower temperature (20°C less) than a conventional oven
- Oven runs hot - Unfortunately, oven thermostats vary and your oven may run hot. If your meals and cakes are often a bit dry or are cooked quicker than you expect, this could be your problem so start by turning your oven down by 10°C
- Check the temperature - To be absolutely sure that your oven is at the right temperature, buy an oven thermometer and check it out.
2. You cooked the cake too long
Most cake recipes give a range of times for cooking the cake. This is because all sorts of things vary, including:
- Oven temperature
- Ingredients temperature. On a warm day and/or if your butter and eggs have been out of the fridge for some time, the cake mixture (batter) will be warmer than on a cooler day, so will cook quicker.
Test the cake after the shortest recommended time. If there is no range of times in the recipe, as a rule of thumb, test the cake 5 minutes early for each 30 minutes of cooking time, i.e. after 25 minutes for a 30-minute recipe
How to check properly that the cake is cooked
- The sides of the cake begin to pull away from the tin. You will see a slight gap forming between the edge of the cake and the tin
- The middle of the cake springs back when touched lightly with your finger. This only works for sponge cakes (but once you've mastered it, it's fool-proof)
- A cake tester comes out clean, with no streaks of batter. You can use a thin skewer or a cocktail stick, or if you are uncertain, buy a reusable cake tester or if you're really serious a Thermapen food thermometer.
3 - Your eggs were too small
Eggs vary in size within a particular grade, e.g. a UK large egg weighs 63g -73g in the shell. If you used medium eggs when the recipe calls for large eggs, you won't be adding enough liquid.
Check your egg size
- Modern recipes tend to use large eggs as the default, so if in doubt buy large!
- If you buy mixed weight eggs, weigh each one and write the weight on the shell with a Sharpie
- If your eggs are medium and you need large, add an extra half egg (e.g. the yolk) per 3 eggs, or 25ml milk
- If you're making a sponge cake, weigh the eggs in the shells and add the same weight of butter, sugar and flour (see Victoria Sandwich recipe).
4 - You didn't measure the ingredients accurately
Baking is more of a science than an art, and it is important to weigh ingredients. I always do, even if I can estimate accurately most of the time. This is particularly important if a recipe calls for a spoonful of some ingredient.
If you measure by volume, i.e. in cups, be aware that it isn't as accurate, e.g. a cup of sifted flour will weigh less than a cup of flour that's been sitting in a cupboard for a while. My only solution to this is to weigh the ingredients.
How big is a tablespoon?
- Level tablespoon = 15ml. The ingredients are level with the top of the spoon - use the back of a knife to level off
- Rounded tablespoon = 30ml. As much above the spoon as in it. This is usually the default if no other information is given
- Heaped tablespoon = 45ml (approx). As much as you can cram onto the spoon
- Level teaspoon = 5ml.
BUT if you live in Australia (or you're using Grandma's spoons in the UK, or one of her recipes), a tablespoon is 20ml.
5 - You used a different sized tin
If the tin that you used meant that the cake was shallower (i.e. it was a bigger tin) it would cook more quickly, so reduce the cooking time - or use the tin specified in the recipe.
Where did you find the recipe?
Finally, make sure that your recipe is from a reliable source and gives you enough detail, especially if you don't often bake. If you found it online, ask the author what they suggest when things go wrong.
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Arlene Phillips says
Made this yesterday, am meticulous about weighing etc, but it was very dry and crunbly, it felt like driy semolina.
Susie Collings says
Hi Arlene, Sorry to hear that. Which cake did you make? (And the problem is probably over-cooking. Oven temperatures are unfortunately not always very accurate.) Cheers - Susie
Catherine Lonergan says
I made 2 ss suggested..followed recipe to a T and they turned out perfectly! I thought they tasted like an Oxford lunch cake. Going to try with flaked almonds next time. Only problem is they tasted so good I sometimes had 2 slices! Thank you for sharing your recipe and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Susie Collings says
Hi Catherine, it's a bit of a conundrum. Better to make your own cake, but then you eat more 🙂 Cheers - Susie
Dol says
Made this everyday fruitcake. Turned out absolutely scrumptious I soaked the fruit and nuts in strong tea for an hour and added a tablespoon of jam. This will be a regular treat from now on!!
Susie Collings says
Hi Dol, So pleased you like the Everyday Fruit Cake. Soaking the fruit is always good if you have time 🙂 Cheers - Susie
Hazel Deal says
My cake was a bit pudding why could that be
Susie Collings says
Hi Hazel, I'm not sure which recipe you're cooking so I can't be specific.
One reason is a lack of air in the mixture. This could be caused by not enough baking powder/ using plain flour instead of self-raising flour, or over-beating the mixture.
Another reason is that the centre isn't cooked enough. That could happen if the oven is too hot and cooks the outside before the inside, or the tin wasn't the size specified (e.g. using a deep tin instead of two shallow tins).
Thirdly, The mixture was too wet. Maybe the eggs were a size larger than specified or too much other liquid was added.
Hope that helps - Susie
Christine Myers says
I made the fruit cake it was delicious, but it was in an extra 40 minutes, and I've always thought my oven was a hot oven?
Susie Collings says
Hi Christine. The only thing I woulder is if you have a non-fan oven and used the lower temperature setting for the fan oven?
Otherwise, all I can say is that ovens vary, a lot. For example, mine takes a lot longer to get up to temperature than it says. So the thermostat light goes off, but the oven isn't hot enough - it takes another 5-10 minutes!
Hope that helps - Susie
Caroline says
Made this cake for 1st time today. very easy and turned out well. I added cherries as I like cherries! Delicious - wish I'd made 2!
Susie Collings says
Hi Caroline, So pleased you like the cake. Was it the Everyday Fruit Cake? I alwasy add cherries - I'm a bit of a cherry fiend really 🙂
Cheers - Susie
Liam Addison says
I made this cake and thought it was excellent, moist fruit, lovely textured sponge and slightly crunchy crust. Delicious! I did note that some additional moisture from washing the fruit may cause the fruit to sink a bit, but it’s all in there to enjoy.
Susie Collings says
Hi Liam, Glad you like the cake. Leaving the cake on a clean tea towel after drying to finish off should sort the problem with fruit sinking (if you've got the time). I'm not always too bothered though if it's just for family 🙂 Cheers - Susie
Lisa H. says
Hi, I made this for the first time today - followed the recipe to a Tee - AND read the comments on ALL the mishaps that can go wrong before I started but my cake still turned out Dry and Crumbly ☹ so I guess its my Oven, too hot xx
Susie Collings says
Hi Caroline, It does sound like your oven. Try turning it down 10° and check the cake sooner too. Im assuming your eggs were large if you read everything else.
Don't be put off. It happens to every baker. If the cake is too crumbly to eat, serve with custard in a bowl. Cheer - Susie
Liam Addison says
The author has numerous helpful tips about egg size etc and oven temperature, all of which can affect the cake consistency.
I always soak fruit for cakes, anything like Sherry, port, calvados, brandy or whisky! The author has tips about this too, because it might affect fruit distribution in the cake, but soaked fruit will not absorb the moisture in the cake, hence gives a much moister cake at the end and less chance it will be dry or crumbly.
Rob says
Made this cake twice second time all the sultanas and cherries ended up at the bottom of the cake ???
Susie Collings says
Hi Rob, Not sure which cake you made, but the fruit might be at the bottom if:
. You didn't wash the cherries
. Cherry pieces were too big (I leave them halved and don't care where they end up)
. The batter (cake mix) was too slack, e.g. too much liquid/eggs too big
Hope that helps. Cheers - Susie
Loki2512 says
Hi Rob,
Dust your fruit with flour, I put my dried fruit in a bowl and dust flour all over once coated sieve off the excess flour and fold it into your cake mixture! The floured fruit clings to the mixture without sliding to the bottom.
Chrissy says
What causes a fruit cake to crumble when slicing
Susie Collings says
Hi Chrissy. So many reasons!
Some fruit cakes that I make will crumble if cut when they're still warm or even in the first day, and are much better behaved from the second day.
You also get that problem if the cake is overcooked and too dry, or if you aren't careful measuring the ingredients. I'm not too precious about that - a couple of grams either way is fine, but getting the proportion of sugar too high will cause a crumbly cake.
Hope that helps you. Cheers - Susie
Ginny says
I' have made this times and it's been great. Last one I made I wanted to slice it all as needed to individually wrap and it crumbled wonder if it was because it had just cooled.
Susie Collings says
Hi Ginny, You're right, the cake needs to be completely cool before slicing. I would put it in the fridge overnight first. Cheers - Susie
Susie Collings says
Hi Jane, You've added more raising agent with the flour, you could try adding another 1/2 - 1 teaspoon baking powder, but alternatively I do have an easy fruit cake recipe that many people enjoy so you could take a look at that: Everyday Fruit Cake. Cheers - Susie
Jane Johnson says
Hi Susie
I have been looking for an easy fruit cake for a long time now. I Normally make a crunchy fruit cake which comes out flat. The recipe calls for 100g of polenta and 50g of SR flour but I don't like polenta so I changed it to 150g of SR flour but it still comes out flat has 2 eggs. It's a bit of a joke in my household that it is called the Crunchy Flat Cake. It is such a nice cake don't know the science of making it grow bigger. If you could help me I would appreciate it. /thanking you in advance.