Help! I'm Going Crazy Trying To Bake A Simple Vanilla Cake!

Baking By Natalie.bakes.with.love Updated 30 Oct 2016 , 12:20pm by Frank68

Natalie.bakes.with.love Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Natalie.bakes.with.love Posted 27 Oct 2016 , 5:37pm
post #1 of 5

Hello to all you lovely bakers out there,


I'm slowly starting to lose my mind and have broken down crying a few times because of how my cakes are turning out. 


So, more times than I'd like to admit I've had to throw away a cake I've made because it's not turned out right. they're greasy, gluey and dense. everytime!! but my chocolate cakes turn out lovely. it's really strange. 

I've done my research and altered many things. I started with the basic recipe:

200g caster, 200g butter (I originally used Flora Buttery which worked well for me previously), 4 eggs, 200g SR flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp vanilla. doing the traditional thing with creaming the butter and sugar, adding eggs a bit at a time with some flour to prevent curdling, made sure not to over-mix, folded in flour and essence by hand. 

I also tried adding some sour cream to enhance the flavour, which it did and it would have been lovely if it didn't come out with streaks inside it or feeling like Its been soaked in grease.

I've changed my butter to Stork, also to Clover, did half and half butter and margarine, changed my vanilla, changed the flour, checked my baking powder, used cold eggs, room temperature eggs, room temperature butter, cold butter, changed my baking tins, cooked for longer, increased/decreased oven temperature and preheat times, done an all-in-one mix, used the beater and whisk attachment on my mixer. 

I even tried the Nigella recipe which uses less butter/sugar and adds cornflour for the lightness. nope! 


No matter what I do they come out like dough in the middle or completely dense! it's driving me crazy and I'm at my whits end! 

I've ended up buying 2 separate thermometers to check the temperature of the cakes when removing them from the oven to ensure it was fully cooked. 


The only thing that works is packet mixes which I don't really like using, especially if I have to make a non-vanilla flavoured sponge. 


Has anyone else suffered with this problem? and can you please help me make a good sponge again?!  please!! 


Thanks, 

Natalie 

4 replies
A-CupOfTee Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
A-CupOfTee Posted 27 Oct 2016 , 7:44pm
post #2 of 5

Sucks to hear that, trust me I know what you're going through. It took me forever to find a recipe that works. I can't give you much advice but from what you explained, I don't see why you would add flour while you add the eggs, but I'm only a hobby baker, so I don't know much. I have a recipe that has never failed me once, no matter what pan I use, its really easy and sometimes I'll add another flavor extract and add a pack of instant pudding, and have a whole new flavor! (add strawberry extract and a pack of strawberry pudding, and you'll have wonderful strawberry cake!) Good luck!

VANILLA CAKE 

•2 cups sugar

•4 lg. eggs

•1 tsp. vanilla

•2 ½ cups  flour

•1 cup milk

•2 ¼ tsp baking powder

•¾ cup  oil

DIRECTIONS

Blend the sugar and eggs, one egg at a time

Add the vanilla

Add baking powder

Alternate adding the flour and milk, starting and ending with the flour. *ex. add 1/2c flour, then add 1/2 c of milk, then flour and so on.

Add the oil

Bake on 350F

me_me1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
me_me1 Posted 28 Oct 2016 , 6:59am
post #3 of 5

@Natalie.bakes.with.love...

What temperature are you baking at? You might need to play around with it a little? I have a very nice vanilla recipe that says I should bake it at 180C but I usually only have my oven at 160-170C. Unless I'm making cupcakes and want them domed, then I turn it up to 180C.

I doctor this recipe a little and add a block of melted white chocolate to the mix and use a little less sugar.

190 g self-rising flour

160 g plain flour

227 g unsalted butter, softened

400 g white sugar (I drop this to 350g)

4 large eggs, at room temperature

237 ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I doctor things here by adding more vanilla as well as vanilla bean paste)

Combine the flours and pop to one side. Cream the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy and nearly white in colour, about 5 minutes or so. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Beat until everything is mixed together, but don't over beat.

This is when I add the melted white chocolate and it gives it a lovely smooth texture.

Hope this helps!  x

twrightey Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
twrightey Posted 29 Oct 2016 , 8:33am
post #4 of 5

I think you have too much egg in the recipe - for a 4 egg mix I would use 225g of flour, sugar and butter/marg.

For a classic Victoria sponge done using the creaming method you should weigh your eggs (shell on!) and then use that weight of SR flour, sugar and butter/marg plus an extra 1-1.5 tsp baking powder.

My never fail 4 egg recipe is 225g of soft margarine, 225g caster sugar, 275g SR flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 4 eggs and 4 tablespoons of milk. Put all the ingredients in a bowl together and beat until smooth - no need to cream first. Really easy and quick and always comes out lovely. I have a fan oven and bake it at about 160-170 - takes a bit longer at the slightly lower temperature.

Frank68 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Frank68 Posted 30 Oct 2016 , 12:20pm
post #5 of 5

I use the recipe that Buddy Valestro gave out for his vanilla cake. He also includes pastry cream in the original version but I found it doesn't make a big difference so I omit. I've made this recipe several hundred times and it will come out perfect each time if you just follow the measurements and directions. The recipe can easily be doubled or more depending on what you're baking. Let me know if you get a chance to try, I highly recommend it. I also only use Watkins clear vanilla, it really is one of the best on the market. 

Ingredients

6 CUPS

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for flouring the cake pans
  • 2 cups sugar, plus more for unmolding the cake
  • 3/4 cups vegetable oil or 1 1/2 sticks of butter
  • 2 cups italian custard cream (I omit this ingredient)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Put the flour, sugar, vegetable oil, italian custard,baking powder, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on slow just until the ingredients are blended together, a few seconds, then raise the speed to low-medium and continue to mix until smooth, approximately 1 additional minute.
  3. With the motor running, add 1 egg at a time, adding the next one after the previous one has been absorbed into the mixture. Stop the motor periodically and scrape the bowl from the bottom with a rubber spatula to integrate ingredients, and return the mixer to low-medium speed. After all the eggs are added, continue to mix for an additional minute to ensure the eggs have been thoroughly mixed in. This will help guarantee that the sugar is dissolved and that the flour has been thoroughly mixed in, which will help produce a luxurious mouth-feel in the final cake.
  4. With the motor running, add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, stopping the motor to scrape the sides and bottom between the two additions. Continue to mix for another minute or until the mixture appears smooth. 
  5. Grease two 8-inch cake pans (2 inches high) with the butter, and flour them.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and get as much batter as possible out. Bake until the cake begins to pull from the sides of the pan and is springy to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. The cakes should be at room temperature before you remove them from the pan. Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, top with sugar, and one at a time, turn the pans over and turn the cakes out onto parchment; the sugar will keep it from sticking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to decorate.

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