Here's why. The texture of cakes made with oil is—in general—superior to the texture of cakes made with butter. Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter.
Vegetable oil contributes moistness far more reliably, a result of the fact that oil remains liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies. Liquid contributes to the sensation of moistness, and therefore cakes made with oil often present as moister than their butter-based counterparts.
Most cake mixes call for oil, but butter will bring in amazing flavor. To substitute butter for oil in baking just melt the butter, measure it, let it cool, and add it as you would the oil. Compared to oil, butter will create a cake with a firmer, cakeier texture.
This makes butter ideal for pies and crusts, where the butter flavor adds to the rest of the ingredients' flavor profiles. On the other hand, oil is more ideal for moist, tender recipes like thick cakes, and can be used to complement different flavor profiles, like with coconut oil!
Probably the biggest function of oil in most baking recipes is to keep your product moist. It basically captures the gases that are released from the interaction of the baking powder and baking soda, and slows down gluten formation to keep certain baked goods tender and fluffy in texture!
Best Oils for Baking
Choosing a vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.
Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter. So why do most cake recipes start with butter?
You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit.
At room temperature, butter has a melt-in-your mouth feeling and more robust flavor profile. Liquid oil products are always liquid at room temperature and even when refrigerated, so they give the palate a sensation of moisture when you bite into something made with oil. Butter is only about 80% fat!
Some types of fat are healthier for your heart than others. Butter and other animal fats and solid margarine may not be the best choices. Alternatives to consider are liquid vegetable oil, such as olive oil.
Baking. Bread, Muffins, Rolls, Cakes, Cupcakes – A 1:1 substitution usually works well (1 cup oil for every 1 cup butter). But you can reduce the oil by up to 3 tablespoons per cup if you want to keep the fat level the same in your recipe.
Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)
The secret to moist cupcakes is using oil as the fat ingredient instead of butter. Butter can often make baked goods dry, but oil keeps things moist and rich.
Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe (if the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter).
Can I Use Both Butter and Oil in Cake? Oh yes, you sure can. This recipe has a combination of butter and oil to give off that nice buttery taste while keeping it soft and moist at the same time. Cake using pure butter tends to be more dense and dry compared to adding oil into the batter.
Milk: Add MILK, not water, when your box mix calls for liquid. The milk adds density, fat and, most importantly, extra flavor to your mix. Egg WHITES: Not adding the yolks to the cake makes the cake fluffy and whiter!
As a general rule of thumb, substitute three-quarters of the butter in a recipe with olive oil. In other words: If a baking recipe calls for a stick of butter (8 tablespoons), for example, use 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 1 cup of melted butter instead. Using butter will give your baked goods an amazing flavor and cakier texture.
Cake Is Heavy or Dense
Possible reasons your cake is heavy/dense: Too little baking powder. Too many eggs. Batter is overmixed.
Your cake is too dense
A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).
Add a leavening agent to the flour. Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise. If the flour you use is self-raising, it already has a leavening agent in it.
Oil is the only fat in the cake mix and fat is needed to make your cake nice and tender. Without some kind of fat, the flavor of the cake would fall flat and the cake would not have that soft texture you crave. However, you don't necessarily need oil specifically, but you do need some kind of fat or fat substitute.
Canola Oil Vs Olive Oil: Taste Test
So it's best to use extra-virgin olive oil only when cooking at low or medium oven temperatures or sauteing ingredients over very low heat. Canola oil is the better choice for baking, frying, and other high-heat cooking methods.
The verdict: Use butter if you want to. If you have extreme concerns about your cake sticking, use shortening (which is pure fat with no water), cooking spray, or baking spray. Coconut oil or bacon fat will also work, as will clarified butter which has the milk solids removed.