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My sister-in-law's 'secret' to moist cake is just adding a whole cup of vegetable oil to the box mix, and it's a greasy DISASTER every single time.

After tasting her dense, slick chocolate cake at three separate family events, I finally baked the same box mix with just the oil the instructions called for, and the texture was PERFECTLY light and tender, proving that blindly doubling fat is a surefire way to ruin a simple bake.
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3 Comments
evan_wilson18
My grandma's old trick was a half cup of sour cream in a yellow cake mix. It adds fat but also moisture that binds, it never feels oily. The type of fat matters as much as the amount. Vegetable oil alone can just sit there heavy, but something with a bit of body like sour cream or even yogurt works with the batter. Her cakes were always the most requested at church potlucks.
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william_henderson
Always thought more oil was better, but you're totally right.
3
nancy475
nancy4752mo ago
I mean, at that point it's not a cake, it's a science experiment in saturated sponge form. I'm picturing a slice that just leaves a shiny oil ring on the plate. Maybe she's just trying to make sure the cake never, ever sticks to the pan, like ever.
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