Keeping a box cake moist can be trickier than with a cake you make from scratch. Most often, the mix already contains two moisture-retaining ingredients - fat and sugar -- leaving you with fewer options to adjust these ingredients or make appropriate substitutions. But there are techniques you can use to keep a box cake moist. Understand, however, that just as with a scratch cake, these temporary measures will preserve or extend moistness only for a short time.
Step 1
Substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil when your cake mix does not include a fat ingredient. Keep your cake from becoming too moist by reducing the amount of water you add by 1/4 cup.
Step 2
Match the type of cake pan to the correct oven temperature. Box cake mixes usually list one oven temperature -- 350 degrees F -- for shiny metal and glass pans and another -- 325 degrees F -- for dark and nonstick cake pans. Because glass is a good heat conductor, consider reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees F when baking a box cake in a glass pan.
Step 3
Set a kitchen timer for the shortest baking time the recipe directions call for. Leaving a box cake in the oven too long is the biggest deterrent to keeping the cake moist. Use the toothpick test to check for doneness: Stick a toothpick into the cake 2 inches from the side of the cake pan, then pull it out and look for batter clinging to the toothpick. Remove the cake from your oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 4
Store the cake in your freezer. Box cakes have a lighter texture than scratch cakes and as a result can start drying out almost immediately. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then cover it with plastic wrap and place it in your freezer. When you're ready to serve the cake, remove it from your freezer and let it sit on your kitchen counter for about 15 minutes before removing the plastic wrap and frosting the cake.
Step 5
Frost the cake as soon as it cools, If you plan to serve it soon after you bake it, to seal and retain moisture.
Step 6
Store a box cake for up to five days in a covered pan. If your pan does not have a cover, use a sheet of aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Things You'll Need
- Kitchen timer
- Toothpicks
- Plastic wrap
- Aluminum foil
- Large bowl
References
- Duncan Hines: Baking Tips-Cake Tips
- Baking 911: Baked Goods and Candy
- "Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix Recipes"; Indulgent Cakes; General Mills, Inc; 2002
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