Why is your chocolate cake always dry? you are heating the oven incorrectly

You follow the recipe exactly, but each time you take the cake out of the oven, it resembles a dish sponge. Sound familiar?

The reason for this is the temperature that you consider ideal.

Most home ovens "lie" by 20-30°C, turning delicate dough into charcoal or crackers. How to fix this?

Buy a thermometer for 300 rubles and put it on the grate. You will find out that your oven heats unevenly: the back wall is hot, and the middle is barely warm.

But here's another secret: never put the baked goods in a cold oven. Preheat it to 180°C, then reduce the heat to 160°C immediately after placing the pan inside. This will create a "heat shock" effect that will make the dough rise evenly.

Also try putting a bowl of water on the bottom of the oven – the steam will prevent drying out. And forget about parchment paper for chocolate desserts: grease the pan with butter and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

In 40 minutes you will get a cake with a crispy crust and a moist texture inside. Tested: even if the recipe calls for 200°C, your oven will cope at 170°C.

But temperature is only half the problem. The second reason for dryness is the wrong ratio of ingredients. Chocolate dough requires more fat than vanilla.

Add 150 g of butter to the recipe instead of 100 g, and the cake will be as buttery as in a bakery. Another trick: replace some of the flour with ground almonds.

It absorbs less moisture, preserving its juiciness. And if you want to give up flour altogether, use avocado. Mash the pulp, mix with cocoa and eggs - get a healthy dessert with a creamy texture.

But what to do if the cake is already too dry? Don't panic. Make a syrup from water, sugar and rum (or coffee), soak the cakes and leave them in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, the dessert will be as good as new. Or cut the cake into cubes, pour chocolate ganache over it and make truffles. Guests will never guess that this is a “reborn” masterpiece.

And don't forget the "three-minute rule": as soon as you take the cake out of the oven, cover it with a damp towel for 180 seconds.

The steam will soften the crust, while the center will remain moist. This technique is used in professional bakeries, but home bloggers keep quiet about it.