How to make a cake

Some very good advice here - thanks all!

It's more that they're dry or end up having a diagonal top JackyB

I shall take all your tips on board and resume my baking efforts. Who knows - next year you could see me on GBBO

Perhaps a simple (small) "traybake" recipe is worth trying? Easier than a Victoria sponge. And because it's cut into slices, it usually looks palatable when served!

Peppermint If they are dry it could be that they are slightly overcooked. Either set the oven temp a bit lower or take the cake out of the over a bit sooner.

Bt diagonal tops, do you mean that they rise more in the middle, making a rounded top instead of a nice flat one ready for icing? That is because the sides rise and cook faster in the heat than the middle, pushing in the softer mixture left in the centre which then keeps rising and swells up higher than the edges. You can cure that by spreading more of the mixture at the sides than in in the middle - in the time it takes that extra to all push into the middle, the middle of the mix has had a chance to rise and firm up more so it resists. At least, that is my theory of how it happens.

Learn how to disguise and cover up mistakes ! If a cake sinks, fill the centre with an impressive pile of soft fruits and cream .... if bland, cover in Nutella etc ... if it’s crumbly, smash it all up, mix with nuts etc and make some truffles ! I’ve done it all over the years to save face !! But have had lots of success too, practice makes perfect.

YouTube
You can see millions of step by step videos of every recipe under the sun.
If you follow the instructions, it cannot go wrong.
If you choose to follow a recipe in a book, it can't go wrong if you follow the method exactly and have your oven at the correct temperature when putting the cake in.
Alternatively, buy a good cake mix. Betty Crocker do a wonderful Devil's Food cake. Sandwich the two halves with vanilla buttercream and top with more of the same, then swirl it around with a knife for a nice effect and sprinkle some grated orange zest over the top.
I won a Surrey baking competition with that cake.

Is this a trick question?
The kind of question that used to be asked in interviews (not for jobs in the food industry)

If YOU CAN READ YOU CAN COOK/BAKE. DELIA SMITH'S BOOK "COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED COOKERY COURSE"- illustrated- is just the job .

Also and very important is tp preheat the oven up first. Put the cooker on full for 5 minutes, then turn it down to its actual temputure for at least another 10 minutes.

Make sure your oven shelf is in the right place too. If a recipe isn't clear in which shelf is the right place, to bake it, Google it to see where that type of cake should be in the oven.

This is as equally important as flowing the recipe to a tee

Should say following in the last paragraph above

I can't believe you are a still using oz and lbs! Do none of you weigh in grams?. In a word, pollyperkins, no!☺️

Some great tips here but can I add one more - if like me you store your eggs in the fridge (due to very small kitchen and lack of space), take the eggs out prior to cooking and allow them to reach room temperature. It definitely helps, and yes I still use lbs and ozs!

I left school nearly 50 years ago..so its still lbs and ounces here too.

I wonder if any of you who are bakers can help me out? I'm looking for icing moulds of Charles Rennie Mackintosh designs .My daughter will be 40 soon and wants a Mack design cake ,since I broke my wrist I cant do intricate icing so a mould would make it simpler ...its my thumb that doesn't work ,they missed the fracture on it so it never healed properly
Any advice about icing these designs would be very welcome if moulds aren't available .Thank you .

Try a "Hummingbird" Cake. You mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then you pour the batter into a mold and bake.

You can find very good recipes for this cake on line. Very easy to make and sure to impress your most discerning guests.

Don't recall quantities, but basic ingredients are flour, sugar, beaten eggs, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt, crushed pineapple, mashed banana, cinnamon and chopped roasted pecans (mix and bake)
Cake is topped with a luscious vanilla flavored cream cheese icing (powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract).

Mary Berry, Delia Smith, Hairy Bikers (Mum knows Best) are all good. Until you get the hang of baking do ensure you follow the recipe very accurately. Read any introduction in the book you choose as sometimes there are notes about size of eggs to use, and other useful tips.

paddyann are there any specialist sugarcraft shops in your neck of the woods? If so you could ring and ask them if they have anything like that, or a CRM cake topper or similar. We have one near here and if you like I would ring and ask them for you, just to get an idea.

I've never been very good at making cakes but I found this recipe and it never fails
www.saga.co.uk/magazine/food/recipes/baking/cakes/prue-leith-chocolate-fudge-cake
I use butter not Marge though and I don't use the icing suggested and instead make a very rich one of Nadyia's : melt a 100g bar of plain chocolate with 100g butter and leave until cool. Whisk until light & creamy then coat the cake. Deliciously tasty & rather sinful...!

I made a Victoria Sponge, for the first time, the other day, and used a Mary Berry recipe. it was perfect though I say it myself!! Love MB - her recipes very reliable. Good luck!
We can't all be wrong re her recipes!!

Why do you need to impress others and believe making a cake is the answer.? I am no Delia in the kitchen
so rely on my local bakery when wanting to' impress'. Must work as they still come back for more.

If you have a bakery local to you, of course

Pollyperkins - I was taught the basic cake recipe in oz by my mum, '4 - 4 - 4 and two eggs' and I have no idea what the metric equivalent is!

Make sure the oven is nice and hot before you put the cake in, and that you have the right tins and they are properly lined.
Don’t spend too long combining the ingredients. Use a small hand held-mixer, then dollop the mixture into the tins and flatten slightly.
Check after about fifteen minutes for a Victoria sponge, and insert a sharp knife. If any mixture sticks to the knife on removal, give it another five minutes.
Good luck and enjoy.

Yes, I was taught 4 - 4 - 4 and two eggs until a friend said that she always weighed the eggs in their shells - sometimes two eggs can weigh 5 or more ounces (or equivalent in grams).
So two large eggs will make a slightly larger cake.

PolyPerkins I use both metric & Imperial measures not a mixture of the two in the same recipe.

I do still think predominantly in Imperial, I'm 63

All this talk of baking cakes is "getting my taste buds tingling". I can't remember when I last baked a cake, widowed & a Diabetic, it doesn't seem worth it

I don't make cakes often these days, but made a choc. brownie last weekend.
That could be an easy one to start because it's meant to be a bit soggy inside. A simpler method too.
Switch on oven. Gas 4.
Melt the chocolate and butter (or marge), I use the microwave for that. When cool add the eggs.
Mix the dry ingredients and add to chocolate etc.
Pour into lined tin and bake for about 30 minutes.
Several recipes on the internet, mostly same quantities.

ps use a shallow square tin 9 by 9.