How would you restore sweetness and moisture in this bundt cake?
This is a follow-up to my first question about this bundt cake recipe.
I baked that bundt cake again with some changes from a blog post that @Stephie's answer linked to. Specifically:
- reduce 2.75 cups sugar to 1.5 cups
- use 4 whole eggs instead of 3 whole and 3 yolks
- use 1/3 cup cream instead of 3/4 cup
The consistency and crumb are now excellent. It looks like a pound cake (see photo). But things are a little dry and no longer sweet enough so I'm looking for advice on next steps to head back towards the original while still making the dough work. It seems like the only way to increase sweetness is to add some sugar back. For dryness, would you
- increase cream
- increase yolks
- decrease cooking time
- other?
Best Answer
My suggestion would be to just go with the sugar increase, it might be sufficient to increase moisture. You can combine it with less baking time, if you want to - try using a thermometer and bake to 94 C, maybe 96 if it gets out underbaked.
If it still feels dry, you should add fat, not water. Increase the butter, and maybe add one more yolk.
You can also use an artificial sweetener instead of sugar, but it will again increase your dryness problem. An interesting option would be to use another form of sugar - replace part of the original sugar with some molasses or a syrup (corn syrup, agave syrup, whatever you find). It will make a moister, heavier cake, but also change the flavor profile.
I must also say that people rarely find pound cake to not be moist enough. If you don't like it that way, you might be the kind of person who likes cakes extra moist, so it might be worth looking into cakes soaked in syrup after baking. You will find most recipes for that from Middle Eastern sources. If that's what you like, you might want to try syruping this one too, it will solve both your moisture and your sweetness problems.
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Quick Answer about "How would you restore sweetness and moisture in this bundt cake?"
Brush on a simple syrup: If you find your cake is a little dry, an easy fix is to brush syrup over the top of the cake. Simple syrup adds moisture and sweetness to any dry cake. You can also add a touch of flavor to this syrup with extracts or a squeeze of juice.How do you keep a bundt cake moist?
Keep your bundt cake covered with plastic wrap, or keep it at room temperature inside a cake dome to keep it from drying out.How do I make my cake moist again?
Here are five tips for how to moisten a dry cake once it's already been baked.How can I make my cake sweeter?
Sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, can increase the perceived sweetness of a cake, but they will also influence the final taste. Adding fruits or sweet vegetables, like@johanna suggested, can increase the sweetness of a cake too, but I guess your cake will be quite different from the original...Why are bundt cakes dry?
Overmixing cake batter can create dry, tough cakes, no matter what kind of cake you're making. When adding flour and other dry ingredients to your cake batter, mix just until the batter is blended. Once the flour is no longer visible, your batter is likely ready.How to Prevent Bundt Cake from Sticking
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Answer 2
Many cakes in bakeries are brushed or drizzled with simple syrup once they've cooled. This helps to add moisture to the cake, and the hygroscopic nature of the syrup also helps to prevent staling. It sounds like this would be the perfect solution for you as it would be adding both moisture and a bit more sugar, but without having an effect on the crumb.
For layer cakes, the syrup is often brushed on, but you might need a bit more so that it could soak further into a bundt cake. There are also bottles with "shower head" nozzles to evenly distribute syrup onto a cake.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Alisha Mishra, Pixabay, Monstera, PicFoods.com