My cakes are never sweet enough

[cherrycoke]

No matter what recipe I use, my cakes do not come out sweet enough once baked. Even when I add extra sugar. What could be the cause?

 

[HoppyMama]

Next cake, no matter the recipe, take out 1/4-1/2 cup of flour AND add 1/4-1/2 cup of applesauce. Just an idea.

 

[MeLikeFood]

No matter what recipe I use, my cakes do not come out sweet enough once baked. Even when I add extra sugar. What could be the cause?

Well what kind of cakes are you making, I think it's more important to have a well balanced cake that's not overly sweet so that it pairs well with the icing youre using. Otherwise it's a sugar bomb. If you're making uniced cakes then it's your recipes, you just need to find something thats to your taste. Desired sweetness is subjective, but I find Rose Levy recipes spot on sugar wise. I wouldn't suggest adjusting the flour and sugar either because they're formulated to give a certain texture, you'll throw off the batters hydration if you just add extra ingredients.

 

[cherrycoke]

Well what kind of cakes are you making, I think it's more important to have a well balanced cake that's not overly sweet so that it pairs well with the icing youre using. Otherwise it's a sugar bomb. If you're making uniced cakes then it's your recipes, you just need to find something thats to your taste. Desired sweetness is subjective, but I find Rose Levy recipes spot on sugar wise. I wouldn't suggest adjusting the flour and sugar either because they're formulated to give a certain texture, you'll throw off the batters hydration if you just add extra ingredients.

I don't know if you read my post but the problem is my cakes are never sweet enough.... I enjoy sugar-filled cake with extra sugar, but my cakes aren't even average.

 

[cherrycoke]

Next cake, no matter the recipe, take out 1/4-1/2 cup of flour AND add 1/4-1/2 cup of applesauce. Just an idea.

I'll try it. What does that do? I'd like to know what causes a cake to not taste sugary.

 

[MeLikeFood]

I don't know if you read my post but the problem is my cakes are never sweet enough.... I enjoy sugar-filled cake with extra sugar, but my cakes aren't even average.

Yeah I read your post, I wanted to know if your cakes are iced or not. Sometimes something that doesnt seem sweet enough is perfect once you find an icing that compliments it. If you don't ice your cakes then the issues your recipe despite what you say to the contrary, or you jsut have a sweet tooth and prefer more sugar than what most people would find palatable haha.

The advice you were given to replace some of the flour with apple sauce isn't ideal because your going to throw off the Hydration and the texture of the cake won't be right. Apple sauce usually is used to replace some of the sugar in a recipe and then part of the oil is held back to compensate for the added moisture. In that case it won't make a recipe sweeter it'll make it less sweet and more moist..... But taking out flour so the sugar ratio is higher and then adding in more moisture in the form of apple sauce will ruin your recipe. Don't do it unless you like dense gummy cake....

You need to find a high ratio sugar recipe, that's why I suggested rose levy. Her butter cakes are usually equal parts sugar to flour, if that's not sweet enough for you it's a you thing. You're just a sugar nutt haha

Edit: If you're dead set on not trying a new recipe though maybe just shower some simple syrup over your cake layers. I've ruined recipes doing that because it ends up too sweet for me.

 

[cherrycoke]

out 1/4-1/2 cup of flour AND add 1/4-1/2 cup of applesauce. Just an idea

Yeah I read your post, I wanted to know if your cakes are iced or not. Sometimes something that doesnt seem sweet enough is perfect once you find an icing that compliments it. If you don't ice your cakes then the issues your recipe despite what you say to the contrary, or you jsut have a sweet tooth and prefer more sugar than what most people would find palatable haha.

The advice you were given to replace some of the flour with apple sauce isn't ideal because your going to throw off the Hydration and the texture of the cake won't be right. Apple sauce usually is used to replace some of the sugar in a recipe and then part of the oil is held back to compensate for the added moisture. In that case it won't make a recipe sweeter it'll make it less sweet and more moist..... But taking out flour so the sugar ratio is higher and then adding in more moisture in the form of apple sauce will ruin your recipe. Don't do it unless you like dense gummy cake....

You need to find a high ratio sugar recipe, that's why I suggested rose levy. Her butter cakes are usually equal parts sugar to flour, if that's not sweet enough for you it's a you thing. You're just a sugar nutt haha

Edit: If you're dead set on not trying a new recipe though maybe just shower some simple syrup over your cake layers. I've ruined recipes doing that because it ends up too sweet for me.

Iced or not they are not sweet enough. That is not really my question at all. I am not asking for you to choose what is sweet enough. Just wondering why my cakes taste completely not sweet even with extra sugar. I don't like syrup on my sweets, but I will try those higher sugar recipes.

 

[cherrycoke]

Your responses are irrationally pissing me off haha. I very much doubt that regardless of how much sugar you add to recipe it's not sweet at all. That makes no sense. And adding simple syrup to cake layers doesn't make it syrupy, it adds moisture. If you had even a basic understanding of baking you'd know that. You're clearly an idiot.

I felt the same about your posts but I had the class not to say nasty names. I'm sorry but am I the one arguing that I should want to bake cakes that are less sweet when it's none of my business what personal preference someone has??? You couldn't answer the question because you have infantile baking knowledge and this is a forum to HELP each other bake better, not show off who knows more. Syrupy cakes are exactly that, syrupy. I'll pray for you, you and that disgusting mouth of yours. God Bless

 

[MeLikeFood]

I felt the same about your posts but I had the class not to say nasty names. I'm sorry but am I the one arguing that I should want to bake cakes that are less sweet when it's none of my business what personal preference someone has??? You couldn't answer the question because you have infantile baking knowledge and this is a forum to HELP each other bake better, not show off who knows more. Syrupy cakes are exactly that, syrupy. I'll pray for you, you and that disgusting mouth of yours. God Bless

I've been a baker for 15 yrs, try again. And simple syrup is added to cake layers nearly everywhere I've worked. It doesn't make it syrupy its the consistency of water. You've been condescending with me from the start, you are an idiot, and you can go **** yourself

 

[cherrycoke]

I've been a baker for 15 yrs, try again. And simple syrup is added to cake layers nearly everywhere I've worked. It doesn't make it syrupy its the consistency of water. You've been condescending with me from the start, you are an idiot, and you can go **** yourself

Condescending is when instead of helping because you have no idea how to fix the problem, you state I should get used to the problem according to your personal tastes. Baking at home doesn't make you a baker. I'd laugh at you but your personal life clearly sucks to go off on a forum poster like this lolll

 

[MeLikeFood]

Condescending is when instead of helping because you have no idea how to fix the problem, you state I should get used to the problem according to your personal tastes. Baking at home doesn't make you a baker. I'd laugh at you but your personal life clearly sucks to go off on a forum poster like this lolll

No I was trying to help and asked you if you ice your cake or not, you clearly aren't a baker and you might be using recipes that call for icing. Recipes that don't require icing tend to be sweeter to compensate for that. It has nothing to do with my preferences and has everything to do with how the recipes are intended to be eaten...You definetly have an attitude problem, and I have a temper. It's a bad mix haha. I think I need to walk away before I get banned on here.

 

[cherrycoke]

No I was trying to help and asked you if you ice your cake or not, you clearly aren't a baker and you might be using recipes that call for icing. Recipes that don't require icing tend to be sweeter to compensate for that. It has nothing to do with my preferences and has everything to do with how the recipes are intended to be eaten...You definetly have an attitude problem, and I have a temper. It's a bad mix haha. I think I need to walk away before I get banned on here.

Back to the icing..... ffs as I clearly stated I have made ones WITH the icing and the cake is underwhelmingly sweet compared to the frosting or icing. I have made them in the past that were perfectly sweet. And your opinion was not to make a cake that was "not overly sweet", I like overly sweet. Everyone I know who likes cake likes extra sweet cakes. I am someone who wants to learn to bake delicious cakes, thats all! Never said I was an expert baker, and wtf is a "baker"? Someone who bakes. We all bake, no one cares. People who say they have a temper are just ill-mannered selfish people who take their problems out on others. Please refrain from replying to my posts in the future.

 

[MeLikeFood]

Back to the icing..... ffs as I clearly stated I have made ones WITH the icing and the cake is underwhelmingly sweet compared to the frosting or icing. I am someone who wants to learn to bake delicious cakes, thats all! Never said I was ax expert baker, and wtf is a "baker"? Someone who bakes. We all bake, no one cares. People who say they have a temper are just ill-mannered selfish people who take their problems out on others. Please refrain from r with mplying to my posts in the future.

Haha, you are very very stubborn. I worked in a commercial bakery for 15 yrs, I'm a baker. I was only trying to help and you got snarky, I shouldn't have responded but I'm an ill mannered brute. Guilty as charged. Best of luck to you bud.

 

[cherrycoke]

Haha, you are very very stubborn. I worked in a commercial bakery for 15 yrs, I'm a baker. I was only trying to help and you got snarky, I shouldn't have responded but I'm an ill mannered brute. Guilty as charged. Best of luck to you bud.

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[Norcalbaker59]

There are different types of cake, the formulas determines texture, sweetness, and richness. The four major elements (flour, eggs, fat, and sugar) in cake vary significantly depending on cake type.

All baked goods are formulated using baker’s percentages—meaning the ingredients are weighed against the weight of the flour. The type of cake is determined by the ingredients, the ratio of those ingredients to the flour, and the mixing method.

It sounds like you would prefer a traditional sponge, with a chiffon with 155% sugar to flour ratio.

Also, know that a great many bakers use simple syrup on their cakes—mainly because they don’t bake properly, so their cakes are bone dry. The simple syrup masks the dryness, but also adds sweetness.

TYPE	FLOUR	EGGS	FAT	SUGAR
POUND CAKE	100%	100%	100%	100%
BUTTER CAKE	100%	40%	45%	100%
GENOISE	100%	150 - 200%	20 - 40%	100%
SPONGE CAKE	100%	225%	0	155%
ANGEL FOOD CAKE	100%	350% (whites only)	0	260%
CHIFFON	100%	50% yolks; 100% whites	50%	135%