The Kitchen Staple That Will Help Prevent Your Cake From Drying Out

When it comes to cake, we've all got our favorite styles and flavors, and everyone has an opinion on frosting and filling. But one thing we can all agree on is that it's a tragedy when a cake dries out. Cake usually starts out nice and moist, and there is really nothing that compares to a sliced piece of freshly baked cake. Unfortunately, once you slice into it and the air starts to do its thing, that moisture starts to fade.

There are plenty of hacks for making extra moist cake, from basting it with a simple syrup off your bar cart to pulling off some expert box-caked mix tricks that switch out listed ingredients for others from your fridge and pantry. But none of these hacks will stop the process of moisture being lost to air once you slice into it. One way to ensure that every slice is nice and moist is to cut off the dried-out surface when you go back for more cake later, but this is a waste of perfectly good cake that probably either cost a pretty penny in the store or took up precious time to bake at home. 

Instead, reach for something you've probably got lying around in your pantry anyway — a slice of sandwich bread. Slap that piece of dough up against the exposed cake surface and create a protective seal for your cake's tender texture. When the surface of cake is exposed to oxygen, that oxygen pulls the moisture out of the cake. So, by placing a barrier against the surface, in this case bread, that moisture will be pulled from the bread instead, leaving your cake nice and moist underneath.

The bread hack is simple to pull off. Grab two slices of bread and press them up against the exposed surfaces of your cake. The closer you can get to covering it completely, the better, so you have less room for air to get in and dry out the cake. You can press it gently, but firmly enough to get a snug fit along the frosted edges, so that the slightly sticky moisture of the frosting holds the bread in place. If your bread doesn't stick to the frosting or you don't want to risk damaging the cake by applying too much pressure, you can always employ toothpicks to do the job. They work great for securing things in place without ruining the structure, and they can easily be removed when you are ready to cut another slice.

The type of bread you use to keep your cake moist is really up to your personal preference, but you might want to consider practicality when making your selection. Many artisan and homemade breads are oddly shaped and may not cover the entire exposed surface. If at all possible, you'll want that bread to be the same size and shape as a slice of your cake, so you get the best fit. Store-bought sandwich bread is great for this, and there are some pretty great white bread options available so you can also enjoy the rest of the loaf.

You'll also want to take cost into account. The slices won't be usable for anything else afterward, so don't waste an expensive loaf. Instead, opt for something inexpensive and disposable and save that fancy bread for your sandwiches.