Wedding Cake Conundrum: Why Dryness Happens And How To Avoid It

Wedding cakes are often dry and tasteless. This is because they are usually made days in advance and are left sitting out before being served. Genoise or sponge cakes won't stay moist forever, so they tend to dry out. Additionally, freezing a wedding cake for your first anniversary is a popular tradition, but it can be challenging to preserve the cake's taste and texture. Freezing a cake can alter its taste and texture, and proper storage methods must be followed to prevent it from becoming dry and unpleasant.

Why are wedding cakes often dry?

Wedding cakes are often dry because they are typically made in advance and left out before being served. Genoise or sponge cakes, which are commonly used for weddings, tend to dry out over time, especially when only paired with buttercream or icing. To prevent this, some bakers add a soaking agent like a lemon syrup to add moisture to the cake. However, this extra step can be time-consuming and may reduce the cake's shelf life or ruin the design.

Another reason wedding cakes may be dry is that they are often large, tiered cakes that need to support their weight and decorations. This structural demand can result in a denser cake that is less moist. Additionally, the priority for bakers may sometimes shift from ensuring perfect moisture to focusing on the overall design, decoration, and timely execution of the cake.

The tradition of freezing the top tier of a wedding cake to eat on the couple's first anniversary can also contribute to the perception of dryness. Freezing and thawing processes can alter the texture and taste of the cake, making it drier and less appetizing.

Furthermore, the sheer size of a wedding cake means that it takes longer to bake, and the recipe may not always be perfected, leading to a drier cake. Additionally, the large size of the cake means that guests may be eating it long after it has been cut, allowing it to dry out further.

To summarize, wedding cakes often face challenges such as advance preparation, structural demands, design complexities, freezing, and the passage of time, all of which can contribute to a drier cake. Bakers employ various techniques to mitigate these issues, but ultimately, the focus on aesthetics and the practical constraints of creating a large, complex cake can result in a drier wedding cake.

How to prevent a wedding cake from drying out

Wedding cakes are often dry because they are made in advance and sit out for a long time before being served. Genoise or sponge cakes, in particular, tend to dry out.

Before Baking

• Measure your ingredients carefully. One of the main causes of a dry cake is using too much flour or too little liquid.
• Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour has a low protein content and a superfine consistency, resulting in a softer, more tender texture. However, this rule doesn't apply to chocolate, carrot, or banana cakes, which require stronger flour to balance with the cocoa powder, fruits, or vegetables in the recipe.
• Add a creamy, light wet ingredient like sour cream or plain yogurt. This will help to thin out the batter and lighten the crumb.
• Use room-temperature butter and sugar, and cream them together for about 1-2 minutes. This will ensure the butter traps the right amount of air, which will expand during baking and produce a fluffy cake.
• Add a touch of baking powder or baking soda to add more leavening support and create a fluffier crumb.
• Don't double the recipe. It's best to make the batter twice separately to avoid over-creaming, over-mixing, or under-mixing.

During Baking

• Check the temperature of your oven and preheat it before baking.
• Bake the cake for less time than the recipe calls for and check on it regularly. Use a cake tester in the center of the cake to check if it's baked. If it comes out clean, it's ready; if it's wet, put it back in for a few more minutes.
• Don't over-bake the cake. Start checking the cake 1-2 minutes before the recipe instructs to ensure it doesn't dry out.

After Baking

• Brush the cake with a simple syrup or other liquid to add moisture. Boil equal parts granulated sugar and water, then let the mixture cool before brushing it onto the cake. You can also add flavorings like vanilla extract, coffee, lemon juice, or liqueur.
• Store the cake properly. Let the cake cool completely, then store it in an airtight container. If you're freezing the cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil or Tupperware for additional protection.

Other Tips

• Soak the cake. If you're making a genoise cake, you can soak it in a lemon syrup to add moisture and flavor. However, this can reduce the shelf life and may not work for all cake designs.
• Use a slice of bread. Place a slice of bread along the exposed edges of the cake to keep them from drying out. This trick also works for cookies and brown sugar!

How to freeze a wedding cake to prevent it from drying out

Freezing a wedding cake and preventing it from drying out requires careful preparation. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Before the Wedding:

Firstly, it is important to know your cake. Some cakes are more delicate and less likely to retain their texture and taste after freezing, such as angel food cake, so consider the type of cake you plan to freeze. Heartier cakes, such as chocolate, carrot, hazelnut, and almond, tend to withstand freezing better.

During the Wedding:

If you plan to freeze a tier of your wedding cake, it is essential to act quickly to preserve its freshness. Before the wedding, instruct your catering staff to carefully remove any decorations, such as sugar flowers, and then box up the cake tier for transport immediately after the cake-cutting ceremony. Assign a "cake captain," a family member or friend, to take the cake home and begin the freezing process.

Freezing the Cake:

Once the cake is safely at home, follow these steps:

• Remove any remaining decorations or adornments from the cake.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill. This step is crucial as it allows the icing to harden, preventing it from sticking to the plastic wrap in the next step. Chill the cake for at least three hours or overnight.
• Wrap the cake in several layers of plastic wrap. Ensure that every inch of the cake is tightly covered, with no air bubbles, to prevent air and moisture from drying out the cake.
• Seal the wrapped cake in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
• Place the container in the freezer, preferably in an area where it will remain undisturbed.
• Mark the cake with a ribbon or label, especially if you plan to freeze it for a year, so you don't accidentally throw it away.

Defrosting the Cake:

When your anniversary arrives, follow these steps to defrost and enjoy your wedding cake:

• Take the cake out of the freezer 24 to 48 hours before you plan to eat it.
• Remove the cake from the airtight container and slowly unwrap all the plastic wrap.
• Place the unwrapped cake back into the airtight container and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight to ensure it defrosts completely.
• On the day you plan to eat the cake, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about two hours before serving.

Alternative Option:

If you are concerned about the freezing process affecting the taste and texture of your cake, consider ordering a replica from your bakery for your anniversary. This option ensures you can still enjoy a sweet treat while reminiscing about your special day.

How to choose a moist wedding cake

Choosing a moist wedding cake is a tricky business, but there are some steps you can take to ensure your cake is as delicious as it looks. Firstly, it's important to remember that some types of cake are more likely to stay moist than others. Genoise and sponge cakes, for example, are unlikely to stay moist for long, so if you have a cake with just buttercream or icing, it may end up dry and unpleasant.

One way to combat this is to soak your cake. A pastry cook on Reddit recommends using a syrup to add moisture and flavour to a cake. For example, they made a lemon syrup to soak a genoise cake, and suggested a coffee soak for a hazelnut daquoise cake. However, this can reduce the shelf life of the cake and, depending on how you decorate it, the liquid might seep out and ruin your creation.

Another option is to use a different type of cake that is more likely to retain moisture. A cake decorator recommends using a chocolate cake recipe for a very moist cake. They also suggest wrapping cakes while they are still warm and placing them in the freezer to lock in the moisture.

There are also some general tips for making cakes moist that can be applied to wedding cakes. These include:

• Using milk instead of water
• Adding a dollop of mayonnaise to the batter
• Lowering the oven temperature when baking
• Using vegetable oil instead of butter
• Using buttermilk instead of milk
• Adding instant pudding mix
• Brushing the cake with a simple syrup or glaze after baking
• Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour
• Adding a tablespoon of sour cream to the batter
• Using room temperature ingredients

Why are wedding cakes made in advance dry?

Wedding cakes are often made in advance, and this can sometimes lead to them being dry by the time they are served. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, cakes made with a genoise or sponge base tend to dry out faster than other cakes, and when paired with just buttercream or icing, can become dry and unpleasant. To prevent this, some bakers add a soaking agent like a lemon syrup to add moisture to the cake, but this also reduces the shelf life and can ruin the design of the cake.

Another reason wedding cakes may be dry is that they are often left out for long periods before being served, which can cause them to lose moisture. Additionally, the priority for bakers may be to focus on the overall design and ensuring everything is baked, iced, stacked, and decorated appropriately, rather than the moisture level of the cake.

Finally, wedding cakes are sometimes frozen to be eaten on the couple's first anniversary, which can affect their taste and texture, making them dry and cardboard-like.

Frequently asked questions