Dryness or lack of texture and smoothness is another widely observed issue with eggless baking. Finding a cake that looks perfect from the outside but somehow tastes crumbly, chalky, or stiff from the inside can be quite a disappointment. The best thing about eggless baking and dryness associated with it is that it isn’t related to the lack of eggs.
Eggs provide both water and fat but more significantly, eggs assist in retaining water during baking. The obligation to preserve water during baking is transferred to other ingredients in the absence of eggs. This can result in drying up if not properly addressed.

A misconception about baking is that adding more moisture to the dough can solve the problem of a dry baked product. However, the reality is that moisture is more about retaining it rather than adding it to the dough or batter.
Some ingredients will release moisture quickly during the baking process, and the crumb becomes dryer when cooling. Other ingredients hold water and take longer to release it. Eggless baking functions almost entirely on the second type of ingredient. Without the moisture-holding ingredients, even if the dough was perfectly hydrated, the end feel will be dry.

The Role of Fat in Softness

Fat is a pacemaker in moisture. It coats flour particles, delaying gluten development and giving an elastic texture. The role of fat is more pronounced in eggless baking. This is beacuse the baking otherwise relies on flour and leavening.
Nevertheless, using too much fat is not advised either. Using excess fat will make the breadcrumbs heavy, which will give the cake an oily rather than an aide texture. The purpose is equality, not excess. That is how good eggless cakes can still feel moist and not oily — by using fat parsimoniously.

The Silent Moisture Destroyer: Overbaking

Eggless bakes tend to be very delicate when it comes to overcooking. Since eggs act as a buffer against drying, an eggless bake getting an additional minute or two in the oven could result in a cake turning very dry unlike ones with egg. Some bakers tend to wait until eggless cakes turn into a darker brown before taking them out of the oven, without realizing the fact that they tend to set earlier than usual. Residual heat cooks the bake further when it is removed from the oven. When it has already reached a point of being slightly overcooked on the inside, carryover warmth immediately leads into it drying out.

Flour Choice Matters More Than You Think

Every type of flour has a different absorbing capacity, with whole grain flours absorbing more moisture even after baking. If not taken into consideration, it can cause tightening of the crumb as it cools.
This is what causes eggless cakes, that may be just right when warm, dry up by the following day. This is not necessarily indicative of a failing cake, but rather a lack of moisture balanced for longevity.

Why Eggless Cakes Usually Tend To Improve With Time

Interestingly, eggless bakes, if prepared well, tend to taste even better after resting. This is because ingredients such as yogurt, fruits, and even natural sweeteners help to hydrate the crumbs by redistributing the water in the ingredients. This could be seen as an advantage rather than an disadvantage.
When it comes to cakes, they do not necessarily need eggs for softness. They need understanding of ingredients, timing and proportions.

Summary
Dryness isn’t an “eggless baking specific” challenge. It’s merely an understanding of how moisture functions until soft eggless baking becomes the norm, not the exception.