I tried to make cakes today (to make it up to my hubby for forgetting our anniversary)

Anyway! Can't figure out what I did wrong but this is what I did:-

Sieved self raising flour into a bowl
put some caster sugar in (at a guess I'd say half a mug full)
Two eggs
a lump of butter (about the size of half an iPhone)

I mixed it up and put it in cases for 25 mins on 180.

Well they looked ok but were very chewy and hardish and if comparing to sponge they're more like a car wash sponge thats been left out in the garden as opposed to a baby sponge that's still moist.

Ive got about 50 of them in my kitchen, Ellie had a bite of one and OH had one (I made him eat the whole thing)!

I was just thinking that maybe I need one of those big cake mixer things!

I really want to succeed - Any advice would be much appreciated!

Aww no what a shame!

You need to cream the butter and sugar together really well 1st until it's light and fluffy. Then add your eggs one at a time with a spoon full of flour. Mix well until it's all incorporated. Then sift in the flour and fold it through well. Avoid over beating at this point as it'll make the cakes tough.

I cook mine at 160 degrees for 15 mins then check then, possibly up to another 10 mins but I keep checking them as sometimes they cook quite quickly.

I would always use a recipe and accurate measurements too. If you look in the interest section under cooking and baking you'll find a post called CAKE. There are some nice recipe's in there x

Thank you Lisa

I'm going to give it another try tomorrow.

I didnt know about all that creaming etc, I just through it all in together!

I'll check out the cake section.

I might put my cakes in the free to good home section in case there are any clay pigeon shooters out there

lol at the clay pigeons

Yes you need to measure equal quantities of ingredients, I never weigh ingredients when I'm cooking, except for baking as if you're out a little bit it doesn't work.

Make sure you whisk the butter and sugar until it goes really white and fluffy, as without doing that, it won't rise properly, I then do the eggs and once their mixed in just lightly fold in the flour, don't overbeat it once the flour is in otherwise they can peak too much and if you're baking a big cake, it has a tendancy to collapse in on itself

Good luck x

Thanks Mandy

I'm with cooking but like you say, i never measure things just guess and taste. I just assumed it was the same with baking!

Thanks again
x

Here is a REALLY simple recipe and you can make it any flavor really, the only thing I weigh is the butter

2 cups of self raising flour
1/2 - 1 cup sugar (depends what the flour is really, 1 cup is pretty sweet though!)
125g butter
whatever flavouring it with (today I did mixed spice and nutmeg mmmmmm)
1 egg
1 cup of milk

I am notoriously crap at baking...but this works (in a small cake tin thouh, not tried as cuppies, it took 45 mins at 160)

Thanks lisa

that looks pretty straight forward and could be a starting point for me.
xx

baking is really easy if you use exact measurements. if you dont and it goes wrong it puts you right off doing it again. it really enjoyable especially when you do well and everyone loves the end result

x

Did you have a go with that one Pen? I made another today using that recipe and its perfect!