Baking cakes!

[baileybubs]

Hi everyone

Just looking to see if any other bakers have a good recipe for an 8 inch basic sponge cake that I can make and put filling in the middle? I'd prefer to make 2 thinner cakes like a sandwich cake than bake one and cut it in half as I find they go a lot drier as they have to be baked longer, however my recipe seems to make my layers too small!! I'm really new to all this coz I originally just did cupcakes but now I'm hoping to build it up and be able to make birthday cakes and stuff for the kids! I'm great at the icing and decorating just need to make my cakes taste nice and moist and yummy now lol!

TIA

 

[aimee-lou]

Mary Berry calls for 4 eggs, and 8oz of flour, sugar and butter/marg. 2 small tins, bake for 35 mins (approx). works for me!!

 

[Pearls18]

If you use an oil based recipe they're soooo much more moist than traditional butter sponges. I like this one, just double the recipe and do 2 for a sandwich:

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/CHOCOLATE-OLIVE-OIL-CAKE-5551

I tend to be lazy and use Betty crockers devils food cake mix because it us amazing and makes a perfect home-made tasting cake everytime (also oil based).

I also recommend the Nutella icing from this recipe:

https://scarletscorchdroppers.com/2013/10/08/ferrero-rocher-cupcakes-with-nutella-buttercream/

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks ladies! Best get some baking practice in now whilst I still have a bit of chance lol!

 

[supertabby]

8oz granulated sugar, 8oz unsalted butter or Stork, 8oz self raising flour, 4 large eggs. Mix and spoon into greased cake tins, gas mark 5 for about 30 mins. To check if it's done stick a sharp knife straight down in the middle and pull out - if it's clean it's done.

Increase the ingredients for bigger cakes - always use same quantity for every ingredient with one egg counting as 2oz.

 

[Pearls18]

8oz granulated sugar, 8oz unsalted butter or Stork, 8oz self raising flour, 4 large eggs. Mix and spoon into greased cake tins, gas mark 5 for about 30 mins. To check if it's done stick a sharp knife straight down in the middle and pull out - if it's clean it's done.

Increase the ingredients for bigger cakes - always use same quantity for every ingredient with one egg counting as 2oz.

Doesn't granulated sugar stop it rising properly? I had to use granulated once because we didn't have caster in and it wasn't as high and light.

 

[RaspberryK]

I always use duck eggs and a nice dark soft Brown sugar. Also sift your flour.
Xx

 

[Pearls18]

I always use duck eggs and a nice dark soft Brown sugar. Also sift your flour.
Xx

Oh different, what difference does the duck egg make out of interest? I used brown sugar for coffee and walnut cupcakes last week and in the icing also, was lovely.

 

[Sqwidge]

I always weigh my eggs (in shells) and generally do a 4 egg recipe for each half. Then whatever the eggs weigh use the same weight of Stork, caster sugar and self-raising flour. Cook for about 30 mins at 170degreesC (fan) until a knife comes out clean. I always put vanilla paste in my cakes, rather than essence as it tastes sooo much better!

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks for all the tips ladies. I'm still new to this so any tips are appreciated my first cake went down well too, used the 8-8-8-8 type recipe for each ingredient and it worked really well!

 

[RachA]

I always do as follows:

4 medium eggs
8oz self raising flour
8oz caster sugar
8oz butter/marg
also add a good teaspoon full of almond essence - this gives the cake a much better flavour.

split the mix between the two tins and put in the oven on gas mark 4 (sorry no idea what this is for an electric oven).
I have no idea how long to back it for as i never time any cakes i make - i just do the knife test - but i'd guess around 20-30min.

I never bother sifting the flour and i just put all the ingredients in the mixer and mix it.
If you want to do a chocolate cake replace about 1 1/2oz of the flour with cocoa powder - more if you want it richer.

 

[RaspberryK]

I always use duck eggs and a nice dark soft Brown sugar. Also sift your flour.
Xx

Oh different, what difference does the duck egg make out of interest? I used brown sugar for coffee and walnut cupcakes last week and in the icing also, was lovely.

It makes whatever you're baking fluffier somehow.
I love brown sugar.

Also I too use vanilla pasta.
Xx

 

[RaspberryK]

Vanilla paste **

 

[harrieth]

Mary Berry calls for 4 eggs, and 8oz of flour, sugar and butter/marg. 2 small tins, bake for 35 mins (approx). works for me!!

This is the recipe I use 😄 yum!

 

[Button#]

I use the Mary Berry one as well. I can really recommend her ultimate cake book.

My mum used to use duck eggs in her cakes when we had pet ducks, really yummy. The ducks used to like laying them at the top of a sloping path though so they kept rolling down and crashing into the gate at the bottom so we didn't get that many opportunities to use them!