Why is cake dry on the outside?

agman1, Jul 7, 3:24am
Banana cake is dry and slighty hard on outside and not so moist either inside.Inside is light (does that depend how ripe the banana's are?).Cooked 4th rack up in oven.Hints please

245sam, Jul 7, 3:29am
agman1, my first thought after reading the first sentence of your posting was.....I wonder about the bananas and how ripe they were?Very ripe / over ripe bananas make the best and most moist banana cakes, loaves and muffins, so what were the bananas that you used like?:-))

agman1, Jul 7, 3:35am
the banana's were just have the floury taste,skin all brown,I think the best when banana has been in freezer then defrosted,super sloppy.But why is cake dry outside?

245sam, Jul 7, 3:50am
Overcooked maybe, but I understand from your first posting that the whole cake is somewhat dry so maybe it's a combination of the dry floury bananas + overcooking.
Is this cake the first time you have used that recipe or is it one that you have successfully used previously?
How much added liquid (milk, sour cream, yoghurt.....) is there in the recipe you used?:-))

wasgonna, Jul 7, 4:21am
Is your stove cooking at the correct temperature? If an older model the temp may not be as reliable as in the past. Justa thought.

buzzy110, Jul 7, 4:41am
I'm wondering if you used the creamed butter method to make the cake or not. If you did, then at a guess, I'd probably suggest improperly creamed butter and the addition of the sugar.

The best way to cream butter and sugar is not to do it like they say in the recipe but to first cream the butter by itself. Keep beating till it is a creamy, pale colour and only then begin adding sugar. Do not add all the sugar at once. Add it in about¼ or 1/3rd at a time and beat till fully incorporated. There should not be any grainy bits left when you have finished.

If the sugar is not completely incorporated your cake will end up dry with a thickish, outside crust. To check if that is what happened take a look at your cake. Break off a bit of the crust and see if you can still see sugar grains in it.

Edited to add - I have had my fill of creaming butter and sugar. Now, If I absolutely have to, I put all the sugar into the small blender bowl which came with my hand blender and do it in that, taking it out afterward and continuing on with a regular mixer. Pain I know but so much less hassle and I don't mind the washing up at the end.

agman1, Jul 7, 5:12am
Thanks must be not creamed enough,as I have also made chocolate cake from Edmonds cook book and that had the same hard dry outside.

marcs, Jul 7, 5:25am
I would line the sides of your pan as well to protect it and also reduce the oven temprature by 10 deg. Also if using edmonds recipe, I prefer to put an extra banana in as I find there is not enough

buzzy110, Jul 7, 5:43am
Oh no. I have just read my post. I meant to say - ...put all the BUTTER into the small blender bowl which came with my hand blender... not sugar.

agman1, Jul 7, 6:11am
I did use baking paper in the tin both times.When I cook biscuits the bottoms always burn,will try 10 deg less next time

calista, 6 days, 4 hours
Buzzy. thanks for the hints on creaming.I have never been quite satisfied with the results when I do it.