How to prevent dense, gluey streaks in your cake

I made my first scratch cake. I followed the instructions but it came out a thin dense mess. I will try again following your recommendations exactly. Wish me luck and thank you for your help.

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Thanks alot, i will surely try it.

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You should have an emergency text message 💬 I am definitely going to try it differently next time. Every time I make my cakes are dense and people that eat them are so polite and nice about it but it's super embarrassing. The flavor is right on its just the texture is not. Could I fold the dry into the wet? The cake that I just tried had me mix the Cake flour, sugar, baking powder, instant pudding, and salt and then I had to add soft cubes of butter to the dry until coarse crumbs. Then add the wet. I didn't know you could over mix. Also, do you have any tips on making each layer of the cake even? Thanks so much. I love your products ♥️ I used your Cake flour 🙂x

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Hi this is the recipe i followed. But regardless of the recipe my cakes are always fully pastry like and soggy. MENU SEARCH The Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had Posted on August 10, 2016 / posted in Cakes / 507 comments TwitterFacebookPinterestYummlyEmail Jump to Recipe This is absolutely the best banana cake I've ever had! It's supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor. Recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com Remember that time I told you about the best banana cake I’ve ever had? It was over on Instagram. I enjoyed obsessed over it at a family reunion the other weekend. Kevin’s cousin made it and I stalked her down like a dessert creep and proceeded to talk her ear off about cream cheese frosting and spotty bananas for 35 minutes straight. What? You don’t do that at parties? MY LATEST VIDEOS This is absolutely the best banana cake I've ever had! It's supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor. Recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com Ok but this banana cake. It was the moistest cake I’ve ever eaten. Stick-to-the-back of your fork moist. The perfect cream cheese frosting, both sweet and tangy, sinking into the top of the cake made it even more moist. Sweet, but not overpowering. Mega banana flavor, certainly more banana flavor than any banana bread I’ve ever eaten. Very buttery and cakey from creaming the butter and sugars. Ridiculously rich, decadent. The banana cake was dense, but not heavy. If that makes any sense? (Coming from the lady who talks about rotting bananas at social gatherings, but stick with me here.) The crumb was very soft, but they were tight crumbs. The cake didn’t fall apart when you took a forkful. Lori told me this cake comes out perfect every time she makes it. And such perfection is reinforced, she told me, when absolutely everyone who has a slice begs her for the recipe. It is, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve ever had. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. How to make the best banana cake on sallysbakingaddiction.com Mashed bananas for the best banana cake on sallysbakingaddiction.com How to Make Banana Cake The recipe starts with 3 mashed bananas (above). Now, make sure those bananas are nice and spotty. As you know, I’m very passionate about spotty bananas. The bananas you see above are just right. More brown spots = sweeter, more banana flavor. Your cake will thank you. I simply mash the bananas in my mixer– the same mixer I use for creaming the butter and sugars. Beat the bananas on high speed for a minute, then transfer to another bowl. I don’t even wash the mixing bowl– just throw the butter right in and start creaming! I really love the mix of brown and white sugars in this banana cake. Brown sugar and banana pair wonderfully together and the brown sugar leaves the cake even more moist. Plus, a little brown sugar flavor is never a bad thing! Let’s see, what else. Oh! The cinnamon. Just a little bit, nothing overpowering. 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon pairs with the brown sugar and banana flavors. Here’s the batter. There will be some pretty lumps. Ok, let’s face it– are lumps ever attractive? Ever? How to make the best banana cake on sallysbakingaddiction.com One more thing to note: buttermilk. Hey, how often do I express my love for buttermilk in desserts? You’re lucky I don’t hunt you down at parties and talk your ear off about… dairy. But anyway, as you guessed, buttermilk is the moist-maker. The cake wouldn’t be what it is without it! I rarely have buttermilk in my refrigerator, unless I have a ton of baking to do that day, so I always sour whole milk instead. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk. So here’s what I do instead: measure 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar, then add enough whole milk until I reach 1 and 1/2 cups. Stir it around, let it sit for a minute, then pour into the batter. To keep the cake extra rich, I do recommend whole milk when you are souring milk– not any other milks. So, soured whole milk OR buttermilk. Your two best bets in this banana cake. The silkiest, best cream cheese frosting! Recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com Is this not the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting you’ve ever seen? Well, it’s the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tasted! It’s pretty similar to my favorite cream cheese frosting, but there’s a little less cream cheese for the amount of butter. So, this makes the frosting a little more silky. And definitely more buttery! There’s also a lot of cream cheese frosting. You will think I’m crazy (-er than you already think I am). When you begin slathering it onto the cake, you’ll probably go “Sally, this is way too much frosting!” But it’s not. You want a nice thick layer. It’s essential to the cake’s overall awesomeness. This is absolutely the best banana cake I've ever had! It's supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor. Recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com YUP. The best banana cake I’ve ever had. Let me know if you try it! Banana cake recipe The Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had Yield serves 12 Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 5 hours This is absolutely the best banana cake I’ve ever had! It’s supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor. Print Recipe Ingredients Banana Cake 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 and 1/2 cups mashed) 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature1 Cream Cheese Frosting 8 ounces (224g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch pan. Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up. What do you think i am doing wrong.

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I made a pound cake and yet again it has the line of dense, soggy cake in the middle. I read that I’m mixing it wrong per your notes above, but I creamed the butter and sugar for 5 minutes, then added the eggs one area time beating for 1 minute after each. I’m wondering if that isi too long? Also, not sure how long to mix after adding the flour. I also never put the Kitchenaid mixer higher than the first mark. How long do you mix the flour? An you help me?

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so over the last 3 days I've backed 3 different Funfetti Cake recipe's, the first- was super dense and spongy, pretty much bread. the second- turned out better but still dense and heavy. the third- had better flavor and a little too dense still. this was the recipe that I just used.. any suggestions.?? I have a cake due for Saturday morning and I'm stuck.. Ingredients 9 Tbsp butter softened 3 cups sugar 1 cup canola oil vegetable oil would also work 4 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups+ 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 4 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cup milk 9 egg whites room temperature preferred 1/2 cup sprinkles Instructions Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by generously greasing and flouring. Be sure to shake out excess flour. In stand mixer, beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy. Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Measure out your milk. With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next. Pause occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. In separate bowl, combine your egg whites and, with a hand-mixer on high-speed, beat until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold your egg whites and sprinkles into your batter. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that ingredients are well-combined, and take care not to over-mix. Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans. Bake on 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean or with few crumbs (should not be wet). For best results, rotate your cake pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Cakes will be a light golden brown when done baking. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a butterknife around the inside rim of each pan and invert each onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

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