It can sometimes seem like the incredibly moist and tender cakes you get from professional bakeries are impossible to recreate at home, but there is a secret weapon you can use to even the playing field. The reality is that while part of pro-bakers’ success is knowledge and skill, bakeries and professional kitchens also get to use a lot of tools and ingredients home cooks don’t normally see.
Chefs were using sous-vide to make perfect steaks long before the tech was available at home. Jealous of the perfect bread structure at your local artisan bakery? Those bakers may be using diastatic malt powder to get that perfect bread rise. And pros making pies and cakes have their own special helper, a little white powder called Instant ClearJel.
We were tipped off to Instant ClearJel when talking to Keiry Palma, a pastry and baking chef and instructor, about unexpected ingredients for keeping your cake moist. While Instant ClearJel is a gelatin substitute that can be used to thicken things like pie filling and jams, Palma told us it also creates a great structure when added to cakes and helps batter retain moisture better. That moisture stays trapped in the cake even after the batter cooks, and your cakes will hold onto it better for days in storage. This means a perfectly tender and soft texture that feels truly professional, all from one simple addition to your recipe. So what is this stuff?
Instant ClearJel is a cornstarch derivative
Instant ClearJel is a type of modified cornstarch, which means starch that has undergone further processing to separate it into different, specific types of starch. Separating starches allows companies to produce products with very specific uses, and Instant ClearJel is used to thicken liquid mixtures, but without the setting that comes with normal cornstarch. A lot of specialty baking retailers like King Arthur sell Instant ClearJel. It’s also called “instant” because it doesn’t need heat to activate, so as soon as you add it to a mixture, it will start to thicken. This gives it the water-absorbing power of starch but without the tendency to make products too gummy. That’s an ideal set of characteristics for making a great cake.
Just don’t use too much of it, as the Palma told us the moisture-absorbing power of Instant ClearJel can actually draw liquid away from other ingredients and create a tough, dry cake if you do. The recommended amount is 1 tablespoon for every cup of flour. It also helps to mix Instant ClearJel with coarse sugar before adding it to the batter to prevent clumping. And don’t add it to warm mixtures either because that will activate the already turbocharged starch too quickly, which can mess with the texture you’re trying to protect. But use it lightly, and any of your favorite cake recipes will become that much more tender and moist.
