All Dried Out: Can Cake Make a Comeback?

Recently, a baker we know confessed that one of her least favorite cake descriptors is "moist". Why? "It just sounds gross" she says. Seems she's not alone--when we asked around, many seemed to share her disdain for the word.

Is it simply semantics? Because when pressed, nobody confessed to preferring dry cake to...well, not dry cake.

Which leads us to believe that as bad as the word moist may be, it's nowhere near as bad as eating dry cake.

And that brings us to the point: the cursed dry cake. It happens to the best of us--we accidentally forget to cover a cake (or cover it carelessly) and that fine crumb becomes a hardened, crisp enemy. But is it really the end? Or can that cake be brought back to life?

We're set on finding out.

And so, in an effort of furthering Cake Science, we've purchased a batch of cupcakes which we are currently letting dry out, with a mind to test out some re-moistening procedures to see if it truly might be possible to bring them back to life. 

Will it work? Is it possible for cake to make a comeback, or is just better to let it rest in peace? 

We'll find out soon enough.

If you've got any suggestions for bringing dead cake back to life, let us know!

Comments

[oneparticularkitchen]

My best method is to poke them unmercifully with toothpicks, drizzle with some sort of flavored simple syrup and seal in an airtight container. Voila -- cake save.

[Michelle]

I actually keep a spray bottle of watered down simple syrup and just give it a little bit of a spritz! :)

[Jennywenny]

I feel like there is a difference between moist (ick) cake and dry cake that has been soaked in syrup/liquer to compensate. I'd love to hear your results!

[shari]

hello, i just graduated from pastry school too weeks ago and we "humidified with simple syrup" almost all cakes/tortes. i guess because we were baking things in sheet trays and then constructing cakes you had to learn to find the right balance between done and almost baked--which could be "moist" but not able to be transfered from tray to ring mold.

[Misha]

Funny, I have a friend that hates the word "moist" as well. I never knew that was so common!

[Sophie]

I don't mind the word moist when it's used in the same sentence as cake :)! I like the microwave idea best, that's how I get stale corn tortillas to come back to life :P.