# Cake help, please!!!



## sallywags (Jun 27, 2005)

I am trying to make a cake for DD's birthday, and am failing miserably!! I used to be pretty good too, so this is very frustrating!

First of all I did a 4/4/4/2 mix (fat/sugar/flour/eggs) which i would normally do and put it all in a 7/8inch square tin, but it came out like a biscuit!

I then googled a recipe and did an 8 mix for a madeira recipe (which is much the same as the sponge but with an additional 4oz of plain flour.)  This one is bigger, but given how much mix went in, it doesn't seem to have risen as much as i would have expected and is a bit brick like. 

I am panicking now as her birthday is on sunday, and I wanted to have the sponges made today so i can ice them tomorrow and saturday.  

Why don't my cakes seem to rise? I didn't put any baking powder in, but the recipes didn't ask for it.

Please don't tell me to buy one, as I really want to make it!!

Has anyone got any good suggestions? at the moment I have an awful lot of trifle sponges...


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## SueL (Mar 22, 2002)

Hiya

Have you tried the good food web site? I used this http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1997/classic-victoria-sandwich for Chloe's and Phoebe's birthday cakes this year and it worked well.

Good luck and have fun!
Love Sue
xx

PS - external website, FF not liable etc!


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## nicnacnoo (Jul 29, 2009)

Hey hon, 

my tried and tested method is 8/8/8/8 (oz) in 2 sandwich tins, its never failed me!  And the 8oz for eggs is weighing them, not 8 eggs!!!.

Works every time!

Good luck xxx


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## Miranda7 (Feb 12, 2007)

6oz of white SR flour, 6 of ordinary white sugar, 6 of crap marge such as Stork and two medium eggs. I double it for birthday cakes.

Sugar and marge first, beat till white and fluffy, bung the eggs in and whip till it stands up, stir in flour.

OR... if you want it failsafe get a food processor or a mixer. Mine come out perfect every time and take about... oh, a minute... I still do the mixing in that order. Have you got an electric angel device?


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## Siobhan1 (Jun 24, 2004)

You are definitely using SR flour aren't you? I've made the mistake of using plain before


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## sallywags (Jun 27, 2005)

I think so - unless i've emptied a bag of plain into my SR container - i suppose it's possible given my addled baby brain!! I had the thought of buying completely fresh ingredients and starting again later today - fresh flour, eggs, butter etc, and maybe putting a smidge of baking powder in too (not too much otherwise it will definitely collapse!).


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## ~Sapphire~ (Apr 14, 2008)

Hi Sally,

If you haven't already solved this problem then:

Sounds to me like you are not using enough ingredients for the size of the tin.  Does it look shallow in the tin uncooked?  I don't believe that madeira cake rises as much as victoria sponge anyway.

I have a great book that listed ingredients by size and shape of tin.  For 7in square tin (medeira cake) you require:-

12oz Plain flour.
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
10oz caster sugar
10oz margarine
5 eggs
3tbps milk

Sift the flour and baking powder and then just mix in the rest of the ingredients and beat for 1-2 mins.

Always made good cakes for me with the receipe. Always thought it was odd though that there was no self-raising flour in it at all    I guess the baking powder is doing that job instead.

Hope that helps.  Good luck.

S x


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## clairelh1 (Sep 8, 2004)

If they're brick-like, it could be that you're being too harsh with your mixing when you've put the flour in.  If flour get's too mixed, it releases the gluten a bit more and that makes things 'firmer'.  Folding in the flour will give you a lighter sponge.  Or, it could be that your eggs are too cold.  Make sure all your ingredients are at room temp before you use them, and if your s/r flour is a bit old the raising agents could be 'going off' so always worth buying some new.

Don't forget, warm the oven before you put any in and then don't open the oven door too early.


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