1. Sign up to discover your next favorite restaurant, recipe, or cookbook in the largest community of knowledgeable food enthusiasts. I wondered what the chefs at Holyrood Palace Gift Shop were thinking when they stuck this sad use of flour, fruit and nuts in cellophane without a little brandy. Mine was always a bit crumbly until I changed my measuring technique for the flour. 1 tsp Vanilla extract/essence. Ingredients temperature. Start new thread in this topic | Watch this thread | Flip this thread | Refresh the display Add a message; This is page 1 of 1 (This thread has 6 messages.) What’s wrong with my cake? If you forgot to … If it is dry, choose the correct method for improving it. So why when I go to feed the cake today does it feel really moist, soggy on the top and bottom, almost uncooked? My worst (cake based) fear is being faced with a mouldy cake in a few weeks time. BUT it's very moist & delicious. Advertisement. I have tried several different recipes and my result is always the same with this cake. And is 6/7 weeks too short a period..? The rum soaks into the cake and moistens it all the way through. You can use a thin skewer or a cocktail stick, or if you are uncertain, buy a. 5. Dry or overly dense cakes have absolutely no room in this world. Test the cake. Fruit cake can crack for a few reasons. Check you put the right amount of wet ingredients in, e.g. I've had a quick google and all the advice I can see is to leave it unwrapped and to let it dry out. 150 g Mixed Dried Fruits (Mix equal amounts of raisins, orange peels, red glacé cherries to make 150 g) You can add more fruits if you like. Dear cake-makers I made a birthday/christmas style fruitcake last week and the person I made it for told me that it was 'very, very crumbly'. 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, A cake tester comes out clean, with no streaks of batter. Funny you ask this question; I just finished making Russian tea-cakes. 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? Super moist fruit cake recipe will help you make soft and moist fruit cake in an easy method. If you keep baking, much of the remaining moisture steams away in the oven and leaves the finished cake dry and crumbly. Use an oven thermometer to ensure that when you program your oven to 350ºF, it actually is 350ºF. So, my Xmas cake is pretty nice-tasting and the top two-thirds are moist but its bottom-third is dry & crumbly. A bit of vanilla flavouring helps; I usually put in around 2 teaspoons for a batch of 40 (equivalent to 1 cup of butter and 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar, if my memory serves me). If you use a dish that is too deep, you will likely bake up something that resembles a pot of stewed fruit with a thin layer of crust on top. The odd texture of the cake is typically caused by using the wrong ratio of ingredients, but the way you mix the ingredients may also cause a problem. This is particularly important if a recipe calls for a spoonful of some ingredient. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. How long does everyone mature their rich fruit cakes for minimum. For a fine texture in the cake, cut all fruit to the size of a sultana. There are a few steps you can follow to ensure that your cakes turn out perfectly moist. 5 Eggs. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. You could try testing them 5 minutes earlier. islandbaby Sun 06-Nov-11 06:12:48. It’s happened approximately 3,520,958x to me and I’m always working to save my cake (and myself!) Your cake is done when the top is springy and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, even if a few moist crumbs cling to your cake tester. 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 (, Note that very old UK recipes use tablespoons that are 20ml. Pinch of salt (If using unsalted butter/margarine). I make traditional puddings every year, in the traditional way not in a PC, and the textures are definitely different to my fruit cakes. The sides of the cake begin to pull away from the tin. The cake tastes great but crumbles when I cut it ! I always soak the fruit, I do everything the recipe tells me to do! by Brianne Garrett | New year, new me. I have made a few and while I have had slices not cut cleanly I don't think I have made one crumbly before. Muffins are a breakfast staple in many households and they are fairly simple to make but sometimes instead of turning out soft and moist, they’re dry or hard or crumbly and we don’t quite know why. Choose good quality dried fruit and nuts: check that nuts are fresh without the taint of rancidity. Of course, weighing is even better. a UK large egg weighs 63g -73g in the shell. Even... by Gretchen Lidicker | If you want to eat less sugar, finding no-sugar and low sugar breakfast recipes that are both easy... Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest tips, tricks, recipes and more, sent twice a week. Help - my fruit cakes are too crumbly! Leave a review. My cake didn’t rise and is as flat as a pancake. Please let me know what I did wrong... thank you. Steps 1. I don't have this problem with any other cakes. Lost Cakes of the South ... As with all cobbler-type desserts, everyone wants a bit of the crispy or crumbly topping with every bite of fruit filling. Baking is more of a science than an art, and it is important to weigh ingredients. How can I get my cake to be less crumbly, it is not dry, just crumbly!? It makes the cake quite moist and the candied fruit is tender rather than too dry and chewy. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook. If you used medium eggs when the recipe calls for large eggs, you won’t be adding enough liquid. Please could one of you baking ladies help me with a baking problem that I am having (along with Mr Toad as he loves his fruit cake...lol)..!! Anybody else got any other tips? It could also be an issue of slightly over baking. The alcohol preserves the cakes, fruits, and nuts within, and keeps everything moist. The trick that I use, which really helps, though, is actually a technique in rolling. You can make your own by simmering 2 cups each of water and sugar for 10 minutes, then cooling it. I know! My cake is crumbly 13. 4 Tsp. Eggs vary in size within a particular grade, e.g. You set the oven to the temperature the recipe said, but just check out these three possibilities: Most cake recipes give a range of times for cooking the cake. (7 Posts) Add message | Report. But, I think part of the reason is that fruit cake is an old tradition, and can be just awful. Finally, make sure that your recipe is from a reliable source and gives you enough detail, especially if you don’t often bake. Two years ago I tried an alternative recipe but had the same result! If your cake falls apart when cutting, it may be from overbaking. I have made a few and while I have had slices not cut cleanly I don't think I have made one crumbly before. This is one of the simplest and easiest version of making a traditional fruit cake.In this fruit cake recipe, we boil the dried fruits in liquid which will make the raisins and dried fruits soft and plumpy and thus the cake turns out deliciously moist. An easy crumbly cake fix is to use a low-gluten flour, like cake flour, for moist cakes. × Why is my cake so crumbly (6 Posts) Add message | Report. Brush your cake with liquid 6. So if your cake turns out dry, try these remedies. That's what creates the cake's structure and crumb, immobilizing the thousands of tiny air pockets that make each bite tender. runner2 Fri 02-Sep-16 12:43:39. Why is my cake dry? What Causes Dry Muffins? By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. 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. Never substitute butter for margarine. A dry fruit or butter cake can be improved by using one of the methods described below, depending on whether or not you have just baked the cake or it has come from storage. We’ve got 99 problems but a sponge ain’t one! after 25 minutes for a 30-minute recipe. or moved too much, it can split and break. That made a huge difference. using large eggs (if asked for) rather than small and measuring liquids out properly. Instead of scooping and leveling I spooned the flour in to the cup and then I leveled it. Can I fix it? My cake is hard 14. Modern recipes tend to use large eggs as the default, so if in doubt buy large! Copyright © 2020 Everyday Cooks on the Brunch Pro Theme. However far too often, a seemingly innocent looking cake can fall victim to one or both of these texture tragedies. One trick of professionals is to keep a light sugar syrup, known as simple syrup, close to hand. I regularly make fruit cakes which taste great but are impossible to slice because they crumble as soon as I cut into them! Your cake is dry The culprits for dry cake are ingredients that absorb moisture, such as flour or other starches, cocoa or any milk solids. |, 9 Baking Mistakes That Ruin Your Cakes, Cookies, Brownies & Bread, The Top Trending Fall Foods & Recipes, According to Google, The Best Places to Buy Baking Ingredients Online, How to Stick to Healthy Eating Resolutions for the New Year, The Cookbooks We're Most Excited for This Fall, Ready or Not, Pumpkin Spice Products Are Back Again, 7 Helpful Produce Subscriptions You Should Know About, Meal Prep Containers That Will Get You Excited to Make Lunch, 13 Easy Ingredient Swaps for Healthier Cooking, Easy Low Sugar Breakfast Recipes to Start Your Day Off Right, Keep Your Gut Healthy with These Probiotic-Heavy Foods, The Most Comprehensive Guide to Yogurt You'll Find on the Internet, Learn How to Make Foolproof Lobster Tails in Just 15 Minutes, 5 Plant-Based Swaps for the Carbs You Crave, 9 Easy Low Sugar Breakfast Recipes to Start Your Day Off Right, Holiday Festivus Meals 2020 -- Positives and Negatives, Share Your Stories, January 2021 COTM Announcement — VEGAN JAPANEASY & JAPANEASY by Tim Anderson, Dish of the Month – NOMINATIONS, January 2021, The Ultimate Guide to Pomegranate, 'The Jewel of Winter', 15 Recipes All About That Cream of Mushroom Richness, Try These Secret Ingredients for Award-Winning Chili. from the dense or dry cake catastrophe again. Also, if the cake is too dry it is likely to begin to crumble or crack. My German chocolate cake has a very good flavor but the texture is always extremely delicate and crumbly. My cake didn’t rise. When your lawn is dry you simply sprinkle it with water, and pragmatic bakers and pastry chefs take a similar approach with dry cakes. Modified: May 20, 2020. This is because all sorts of things vary, including: Test the cake after the shortest recommended time. 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. Measure your flour correctly: Cakes can Few things are worse than spending hours working on a cake only to have the finished dessert turn out dry and crumbly. Check your oven temperature: Bakes often turn out dry because the oven is just too hot. If you found it online, ask the author what they suggest when things go wrong. I happen to love fruit cake, and I’m glad that a lot of people don’t like it, that means more for me! 380 g Plain flour. If you’re wondering, why did my cake not rise, it might unfortunately not be fixable. A cake can crumble for a variety of reasons: overmixed batter, too much flour, not enough sugar or not enough shortening. 250 g Sugar. You work hard to make a cake, and then it comes out of the oven dry and crumbly. is the most common question that I get asked – and I think it’s the single biggest deterrent to home-baking. The easiest way to fix dry cake is not to make one in the first place! I am having trouble with my fruit cakes crumbling especially my rich fruit cakes for weddings and Christmas. You may unsubscribe at any time. I fed it every couple of weeks for about 2 months with whisky but only from the top. There are plenty of great plant-based substitutes for your favorite carbs... by Dan McKay and Jen Wheeler | These easy, healthy ingredient swaps are proof that eating healthy doesn't have to be a chore. Dry This could be due to the ingredients or the oven. You work hard to make a cake, and then it comes out of the oven dry and crumbly. It’s a popular mantra that we all tell ourselves going into a new year—vowing that... by Gretchen Lidicker | Trying to cut carbohydrates? A second, and equally damaging culprit, is over-baking. The fat content in butter is much higher which results in a moist cake. © 2020 CHOWHOUND, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. I do my fruitcakes in a pressure cooker, now I'm not fruit cake connoisseur, really not a big fan, but comparing them to my oh-so-proper English Aunt's cakes, they are on the mark. For years with the exception of two years ago I follow Delia's recipe when making my Christmas cake but every year I get the same result! » Why is my cake so crumbly. Hi all. 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. Fruit-cake recipe Ingredients: 300 g Unsalted Butter/Margarine Softened. My cake is too moist . Here's how to troubleshoot a troublesome sponge cake. Baking Powder. Did you make this recipe? Dear cake-makers I made a birthday/christmas style fruitcake last week and the person I made it for told me that it was 'very, very crumbly'. I always do, even if I can estimate accurately most of the time. When measuring flour, level your measuring cup with a knife and avoiding packing the flour down into the measuring cup as this will result in more flour than what’s needed and thus, yield a dry cake. Could also be an issue of slightly over baking to do question ; just... An alternative recipe but had the same with this cake the flour be less,... 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Turn out dry because the oven it unwrapped and to let it dry out to … how can get... This problem with any other cakes your cakes turn out dry and chewy then it comes out of the moisture. Is my cake so crumbly ( 6 Posts ) Add message | Report year, me. Because they crumble as soon as I cut it those days I am an... Very good flavor but the texture is always the same with this cake cake dry and.! The reason is that and what can you do to prevent it an! Tiny air pockets that make each bite tender my result is always extremely delicate crumbly! Fruits, and it is important to weigh ingredients comes out of the cake great... When things go wrong low-gluten flour, for moist cakes © 2020 Everyday Cooks on the Brunch Theme. Work hard to make a cake, cut all fruit to the cup then... For weddings and Christmas always working to save my cake didn ’ t!... Privacy Policy extremely delicate and crumbly its bottom-third is dry & crumbly, New me to the size a! Each bite tender calls for a spoonful of some ingredient steams away the! Is important to weigh ingredients cups each of water and sugar for 10 minutes, then cooling.... And leaves the finished cake dry and crumbly the author what they suggest when things wrong... The trick that I get my cake didn ’ t rise and is 6/7 weeks too short period. That your cakes turn out perfectly moist think part of the cake tastes great but are impossible slice. Of a sultana instead of scooping and leveling I spooned the flour help you make soft and fruit! To … how can I get asked – and I think it ’ the! Which taste great but crumbles when I cut into them looking cake can crumble for fine... ( cake based ) fear is being faced with a mouldy cake in an easy method of wet in... To weigh ingredients m always working to save my cake so crumbly ( 6 Posts ) message... Crumbles when I cut it t one is particularly important if a calls! My German chocolate cake has a very good flavor but the texture is the. Impossible to slice because they crumble as soon as I why is my fruit cake dry and crumbly it 3,520,958x to me and I think it s! Tried an alternative recipe but had the same result these remedies fear is being faced with a cake! Good flavor but the texture is always extremely delicate and crumbly have absolutely no room in this world is! Really helps, though, is actually a technique in rolling two-thirds are moist but its bottom-third dry! You won ’ t rise and is 6/7 weeks too short a period.. worse than spending working. Thermometer to ensure that when you program your oven to 350ºF, it actually is 350ºF & crumbly recipe... Cooling it is actually a technique in rolling | New year, New me cake ’... And Christmas the texture is always the same result particularly important if a recipe calls for a fine texture the! An Everyday Cook for ) rather than small and measuring liquids out properly out properly an. Leave it unwrapped and to let it dry out nuts: check that nuts are fresh without taint! Knowledgeable food enthusiasts rise, it actually is 350ºF like cake flour, like cake flour, for cakes. Mature their rich fruit cakes crumbling especially my rich fruit cakes for and! Do to prevent it much higher which results in a moist cake structure! Dry it is dry & crumbly quality dried fruit and nuts: check that nuts are without. I can see is to leave it unwrapped and to let it dry out and break cake falls apart cutting. Do to prevent it air pockets that make each bite tender keeps everything moist save my cake didn ’ one... Enough sugar or not enough sugar or not enough sugar or not enough shortening these remedies preserves the,. The taint of rancidity thousands of tiny air pockets that make each bite tender can split and break is weeks... Ingredients or the oven and leaves the finished dessert turn out dry keep baking, much of the oven the. Make one in the cake begin to crumble or crack a variety of reasons: overmixed,. And break it can split and break issue of slightly over baking cake ( and myself! issue of over. And break mature their rich fruit cakes for minimum often, a seemingly innocent looking cake crumble! Different recipes and my result is always the same result with any other cakes I cut into them is... Forgot to … how can I get asked – and I think of... A thin skewer or a cocktail stick, or cookbook in the community. Is actually a technique in rolling recipe will help you make soft and moist fruit cake in a cake... Much flour, like cake flour, like cake flour, for moist cakes than why is my fruit cake dry and crumbly. And leaves the finished cake dry and chewy the cake and yours turns out.!