How do you achieve dense moist cakes?

Question

Hi! I hope somebody can help me with this! I love the texture of good moist and dense cakes, with almost no crumbs - quite the opposite of traditional fluffy and soft risen cakes. I love some polenta and semolina cakes I find in a bunch of bakeries in New York City and they have this melting texture but they are very dense and compact. When you break a piece from the loaf slice it has NO crumbs. I tried replicate this delicious semolina lemon pound cake but even if the flavor comes out similar it doesn’t have the same texture! What is the secret for a cake like that? More fat? No leavening agent? Thanks in advance!

claudia · Answer

Thanks Nancy!

claudia · Answer

Thank you!

HalfPint · Answer

Then you are looking for a recipe for a pound cake with almost equal flour to butter to egg ratio, with little to no leavening.

Oil cakes tend to be lighter and fluffier, so go with a butter recipe.

Good luck!

Nancy · Answer

I don't know if you can guarantee NO crumbs, but yes minimize them.
Some ideas:
• choose cakes that are dense by nature, like banana bread or carrot bread
• use similar proportions,
• add an extra egg or two to a regular recipe,
• look at baking sites like King Arthur Flour or Wilton for more tips.

claudia · Answer

Thank you! I’ll try that but these cakes I’ve tried have no syrup. It’s just the texture itself. They are very dense but not even that sweet and definitely no syrup. It’s not just moisture but also about having a firm dense structure!

HalfPint · Answer

Try soaking the cake with a sugar syrup, after baking when the cake is still warm.  You can add another layer of flavoring by adding to the syrup, like infusing with citrus zest or a slightly crushed spices.

How do you achieve dense moist cakes?

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