LOL!! i made hubby a cake.. he said the inside is just awesome and moist and soft.. but he asked if i can get the ouside softer too? LOL!
what am i doing wrong and how do i get the outside softer???

LOL, well how hard is the outside of the cake? Did you do something different with this one than you usually do? n occassions when I have left a cake to cool in the pan after loosening the sides the sices of the cake have been crustier than usual. I usually cool them a short time in the pan and turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling. That's all I can think of right off hand. Maybe it dired out some before you iced? I've had ones feel pretty dry around the sides but then after they are iced they softened up by the time it was served. Maybe this isn't a great help, just trying to think with you on this. Ü

Do you bake your cakes at 325? That can help too. I've also heard of brushing cakes with simple syrup or fruit juices. I brushed pineapple juice on the charlotte I made. It was so moist and it added a lot of flavor too.

I've also noticed that if you cool a cake with the pan left on top, the moisture seems to go back into the cake. I'm usually in too much of a hurry to do this but it works.

LOL! We were posting at the same exact time. Guess that answers the 325 question. You should try it. I started at 350 too but noticed a real difference when I lowered the temp to 325.

I know lisa!! LOL!! i was noticing that. after i post, id check my other one and then youd post! LOL!!!!!! thats too funny!!
ok,, ill put it to 325, how much longer would you give at 325??

That depends on so many things (recipe, pan size, pan depth, oven). I usually set my timer for 10 minutes before a cake is supposed to be done and then look in on it. As soon as it looks good, I open the oven and touch the top. If it's spongey, I stick a cake tester in it and if that comes out clean I take the cake out to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then I turn it out and let cool completely.

I wouldn't add any time just yet. Check the cake at the same time you would if you were baking at 350. If it's done...take it out. If not, keep a close eye on it and remember how much time you had to add.

I used to have that problem when I first started out, so here's what I've found worked for me: I switched to an aluminum (rather than non-stick) cake pan, began to let the cake cool for 20 min. on the cooling rack with a damp towel loosely draped over the top (after it had been cooling for 5-10 min. to avoid scorching the towel). And would only flip it and let the middle finish cooling once the pans were cool enough to handle without gloves.

I usually just let them cool uncovered from there, wrap them in saran wrap when they are completely cooled and freeze them overnight. When I'm ready to decorate my cake, I take it out of the freezer, unwrap it and let it thaw for 20 min. before I start. You could skip this step if you like and they will still remain soft, but this way, you don't have to crumb-coat either.

You could also try the Wilton even-bake strips which you wet down and attach to the outside of the pan while it's baking. It keep the outside of the cake from baking faster than the middle and gives you a very level cake, as well.

I always trim the sides so I don't have the hard edges. that's how I was taught how to do it though. I also line my pans with parchment paper and pour the batter into it. It makes for easy transfering out of the pan.

I have that problem alot. What I do is let the cake cool about 10 minutes in the pan, level and flip onto my cake board, then wrap in saran wrap. The moisture softens up the corners and edges. I usually bake my cakes the night before and leave it wrapped until the next day when I'm ready to decorate. This method hasn't failed me so far. Hope this helps.

And if everything else fails- bring out the simple syrup, it works awesome!
Just brush it lightly on. allow it to soak into the cake, and then ice and decorate as usual!

I would put the simple syrup on after the cakes cool off and before you wrap them up.

Can anyone give me a recipe for simple syrup. The cakes are going to cherry chip with bc and fondant. I am also having a horrible time with hard side on my cakes. It seems to only be the sides at the very top. Do you think the "magic strips" would help? I am going to start my wedding cake tuesday! the wedding is saturday!

Yes, I love the way it tastes with the vanilla flavoring.

Everything the ladies have said is true and will work! My comment is slightly off-subject tho....

I used the simple syrup on that chocolate chocolate cake - the one with the pudding, chips, choc milk etc and put it in a 1/2 sheet pan. Big mistake! It was soooo heavy and it took forever to bake. The edges were like heavy poundcake! I put the syrup on it and ended up with sticky heavy chocolage poundcake - I mean a fork made a thumping sound on it!

So you'll be ok as long as you don't use that heavy chocolate recipe!! Good luck!

Thanks mOuse, I'll try it out tomarrow!

Hi, it wouldn't hurt to try the baking strips, I think they help, but occasionally I forget and the cake has been all right anyway.

I was going to also suggest using the flower nails, or a core even though you might be making a smaller size cake, that way the center might cook at the same rate as the outside edges. Janice

My 2 cents on this issue, I learned from an old home baker that hard sides/borders on the cakes are caused by loss of moisture inside the oven due to the high temperature. Placing a cooking pan with hot water inside the oven when it's turned on (don't forget to take it out before placing the batter in!) helps to retain the cakes' moisture. The following is what I do: I always bake at 325 and set the timer for 45 minutes, when time is up - check the cake(s) and if not ready yet, set timer for 10 more minutes. Usually this will be ok. Sometimes for larger cakes or if I place 3-4 pans at once, then I will need to bake them one hour or a bit longer for the cakes to be done. I also use the strips but remove them as soon as I take the cakes out of the oven as I learned that they remain hot and could cause the sides of the cakes to get hard. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes, take them out and place them in boards, wrap them in saran paper, aluminum foil, and a plastic bag. Finally, put them in the cakes freezer. I've never had the hard sides/borders again. We all know there are different ways to unskin a cat. HTh