For baked foods to come out flawlessly, extreme accuracy is needed. Measurements must be precise. You'll get less-than-perfect results if you use too much or too little of a crucial ingredient, like flour, since you didn't measure it properly. And that's just the measuring and mixing stages; your oven could also occasionally run a little too hot or cold.
Not to mention, each baked product has unique characteristics. If you enjoy baking cookies, you might be interested in some advice on how to achieve the ideal combination of soft middle and crunchy edges. If you enjoy brownies, you could be constantly looking for recipes that will give you the desired crackly top. Additionally, moistness is important for cakes. You never want the main ingredient, the cake layers itself, to be dry even though many cakes are filled and coated with a layer of frosting. Using cake flour in place of all-purpose flour or include ingredients like sour cream or oil are just a few of the many ways you may add moisture to your cake recipes. There is one guaranteed method, though, that works with almost any cake variety.
The Technique
You've made your cake layers, meticulously followed the recipe, and cooked them for the recommended amount of time, but you're still concerned that they won't rise enough (or perhaps you simply cherish moistness in your cakes and want to make sure that anybody who tastes it is surprised.). You simply need a cake soak, and that is the answer.
What Is Cake Soak
Cake soak is a technique that includes brushing baked cake layers with a flavor-rich liquid (despite the name, you're not actually immersing and soaking your complete cake layers — a coating of extra liquid is all that's required). You can adapt this to match the tastes of the cake you're creating. You may use a coffee soak to provide aromatic coffee flavour notes, an orange syrup to add a little sweetness and citrus freshness, or a coconut soak to add creamy, milk-based flavour. There are many possibilities.
In addition to giving your cake more moisture, cake soak also offers another flavorful jolt. Additionally, by soaking your cake layers, you can extend the time that they continue to taste delicious, allowing you to eat your cake for days. This method is employed even by professionals.
Quick Tip
Cook the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (for example, one cup water and one cup sugar). Take out of the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. If you only want to add moisture to a cake and no other flavour, you can use this sugar mixture alone. It serves as the foundation for all cake soak tastes.
