I have just made a second attempt at baking a cake, with no luck!!

I used two sandwich tins and followed the instructions, using the exact quantities......4oz flour, sugar, butter and two eggs.

This is the second time they have not risen, any ideas what I am doing wrong?

Is that the entire recipe? Did you use any leavening? It seems to me like something is missing...

I agree what does the full recipe say to use? you need something like baking powder. or use a self rising flour next time

Hmmmm......interesting.......

Thats strange, just a UK sponge mix right?
This is what I do,

I only use "I can't believe its not butter" for some reason it makes the nicest sponge, even better than butter, its not so greasy.

I always cream the marg and sugar together first, and until the mixture looks a lighter yellow, so its creamed together well.

Then I add the eggs, with a pinch of salt and a little bit of milk (really small amount like half a teaspoon, it keeps the cake a bit moist) mix that in, just until its mixed in. Then I add the self raising flour in two halves, half in first and ALWAYS SIFT THE FLOUR, mix just until its combined, then the other half and mix in, in a folding action, this is to keep the air in the cake.

I hope this info will help! Good luck and keep trying!

@MimiFix & @AnnieCahill

No, theres nothing missing from the recipe, its an English Victoria Sponge Recipe, and no you don't sound like you're asking the third degree!

Ok cool-I would make sure everything is at room temperature and that you are not over mixing. Unfortunately this is a type of cake with which I have no experience, but I do have a couple Peggy Porschen books and I do recall seeing a Victoria Sponge in there. Let me know if you want me to pull that recipe and I'll post it.

@AnnieCahill,
yeah, you're right, you should also make the ingredients are room temp, especially the marg and the eggs,

this is the type of recipe - minus the vanillia extract,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/victoriasponge_13555

Over beating?

It took me four attempts, once, to realise that if you overbeat the cake batter, it will not rise. Or rise and then fall

Hope this helps

@mumof3,

Yes, you're right! If the mixture is overbeaten, you are basically beating the air out the mixture, so once you have folded in the flour, you should stop mixing.

This is the same recipe I use, but in higher quantities obviously. I use marg, I cream sugar and marg, then beat in the eggs one at a time for about a minute each until its totally mixed in. Then I add vanilla extract and add my flour, are you using self raising/cake flour? That's what makes it rise so if you aren't you need to add some baking powder to make it rise. I also add some mill at the end though depending how the batter looks. Also, you are supposed to fold in the flour using a metal spoon as it cuts through the batter better and doesn't knock the air out as much as anything else would. Other than that I have no idea why it wouldn't rise, mine always does...

thank you all for your replies.

there is no mention of adding salt or baking powder or milk.

Maybe I am just over-beating it from what you have said?

All ingredients are at room temperature before I begin. I do cream the butter and sugar together first, when I add the egg I add a little flour, then the second egg and little more flour, then mix in the remaining flour.

Once all the flour has been added, how long do you mix for?

I have even tried using this mix for cupcakes, and I can't even get those to rise in their cases! I don't open the oven door until the timer has finished.

Am I using enough ingredients?


So sorry with all the questions......this is all new to me, and I'm failing fast!!

x

Dear bakingnewbie,

We all had to start somewhere and we've all had our share of mistakes. By asking for help you've cleared the first hurdle. Baking powder is your friend. I know it's mine. If I were baking that recipe I would add 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Your other friend,
Mimi

Dear bakingnewbie,

We all had to start somewhere and we've all had our share of mistakes. By asking for help you've cleared the first hurdle. Baking powder is your friend. I know it's mine. If I were baking that recipe I would add 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Your other friend,
Mimi

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out the differences between what I do and what you are doing,
The amount of ingredients you use of sugar, flour and marg is determined by the eggs, the "rule" is that an "normal" egg weights 2oz, but not always! If the eggs are bigger, and weigh more, more of the rest of the ingredients is needed! Weigh how ever many eggs you use first, say you use two eggs, they could weigh more than 4oz, say the two eggs weighed 5oz, instead of 4oz, you would have used 1oz less in the rest of the ingredients than you should have! So always weigh the eggs!

Maybe you shouldn't be added the egg in with the flour, cream the sugar and butter, then add the eggs, try all in one go, thats what I do and a pinch of salt and a little milk (half a teaspoon), and then add the flour, and sift it into the bowl, half of the flour and fold in, and the other half and fold in, don't put all the flour in, in one go, and use self raising flour.

With the mixing, You want to be mixing the flour in, in a "folding" motion, this is the get air into the cake, just mix it until the flour is all combined, if you keep on mixing the air is going to come back out of the cake!

Don't worry about failing, keep trying, I used to mess up cakes in embarrasing ways!

BakingNewbie,

What size are your baking tins?

Here to add further confusion

I use an all in one method. I am from the UK should anyone be wondering.

I have a stand alone mixer but have also used a hand held. Just put everying in a bowl. Room Temp essential!!! (If butter/marg isn't at room temp, or a bit stiff, give it a beat first)

Then add flour eggs sugar flavour and a raising agent (no particular order, I sometimes put the flour first, to avoid a flour storm in the kitchen) and mix.

Here you really need to be sure you don't over beat. Mix to a batter that is fairly lump free then stop. It is better to under mix then over (In my experience I hasten to add!)

Whilst my decorating leaves a lot to be desired...my cakes taste good....so I have been told.

[quote="mumof3"]Here to add further confusion

I use an all in one method. I am from the UK should anyone be wondering.

I have a stand alone mixer but have also used a hand held. Just put everying in a bowl. Room Temp essential!!! (If butter/marg isn't at room temp, or a bit stiff, give it a beat first)

Then add flour eggs sugar flavour and a raising agent (no particular order, I sometimes put the flour first, to avoid a flour storm in the kitchen) and mix.

Here you really need to be sure you don't over beat. Mix to a batter that is fairly lump free then stop. It is better to under mix then over (In my experience I hasten to add!)

hi mumof3, i too am from the uk. i have been using my stand alone mixer (have not been folding the flour in by hand). I will try again using your "all in one" method!

goodluck and keep us posted

Ok this may seem like a dumb question, but are you using self rising flour? Is it fresh? I just pulled that Peggy Porschen book Simply Spectacular Cakes and this is her recipe:

1 3/4 sticks salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups self rising flour
6 1/2 tablesppons sugar syrup, flavored to your choice

Heat the oven to 350.

Place the butter, sugar, and chosen flavoring in the bowl of an electric mixer and, using the paddle, cream together until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add to the mix, while paddling on medium speed. If the mix starts to look curdled, add a little flour.

Once the eggs and the butter mixture are combined, mix in the flour at low speed.

Line the pan with waxed paper. Spread the batter evenly into the pan using a spatula.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes for cupcakes and 20 to 45 minutes for large cakes, depending on the size. The cake is baked when it springs back to the touch and the sides are coming away from the pan. Alternatively, you can check it by inserting a clean thin knife into the middle, it should come out clean.

Brush the cake with the sugar syrup and wrap to freeze.

What size are your sandwich tins? Your mixture should fill half way up the tins? What brand self-raising flour are you using?

When you say you're using the all in one method, how long are you beating the mix for? If you are, for example, beating all the ingredients for a couple of minutes til nice and smooth, then you're overbeating the mixture which overworks the gluten in the flour which means the cake will not rise. Also, a 2 egg mix split between 2 sandwich tins will not rise very much anyway, maybe try all the mix in one tin? Also, what time are you baking at?

Hello Emmar308

The "all in one method" doesn't cause overbeating provided everything is at room temp, even the eggs, and that you watch everything. i never leave the mixer running. Pulse untill everything is combined, then give it a final mix. You'd be surprised how quickly everything comes together.

It has always worked for me.....like I said : bad at decorating but cakes come out good.

@mumof3 - I didn't mean the all in one method results in the mix being overbeaten, i meant if OP is using the all in one method and her cakes are flat, maybe she's beating the mix for too long, ie even with the all in one method you can still overwork the gluten. As you say, pulsing til just combined is essential. Sorry if it sounded like i was being derogatory re method, i wasn't!