Hi! I just purchased Debbie Brown's Cartoon Cake book and Easy Party Cakes. Has anyone tried her cake recipe? The cake I want to make calls for 3 C self rising flour and 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (no soda or baking powder). Is there a way I can use all purpose flour and add the soda/powder? I may just use my own recipe but would not mind trying hers!

Thanks for your help?

yuck (sorry) save your time and ingredients. the madiera recipe is dryer than day old bisquits. it is definately good for carving and holds up well to shape but does nothing for the taste pallet...honestly. it is dense, flavorless (thinking cake here- if you consider it a bisquit, well ok, it tastes like a dry scone) and dry.

with that said, i love her cake designs

i have forgotten the flour subsitutions but if i remember, i'll post it.

Does either book have the recipe for her all-in-one cake? If it does, use that - it's much nicer tasting and nowhere near as dry as her maderia cake is (but is still fine for carving etc). If neither has the recipe, pm me with your e-mail address and I'll scan and send the recipe to you. In the UK we use self-raising flour in cakes as a matter of course, so I would stick to what the recipe says.

Good luck !

Substitute for self-rising flour ; Here's one from the rec.food.cooking faq
1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt for each cup of flour (probably all-purpose flour).
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Baking Powder Substitute from the "Joy of Cooking"

1/4 tsp baking soda and 5/8 tsp cream of tartar per tsp of baking powder called for.
good luck!

You are the best. I had a feeling that this recipe was not the greatest. I have never sculpted a cake so I am unsure what recipe to use. I am excited to try them...now if I can get my kids to agree on which one they like so I don't have to make them all!

Kim

I have both books and was going to give her cake recipe a try but a friend of mine did and said it was pretty bad so I didn't bother. Now hearing everyone here I don't think I will.

I have used this recipe...the trick is to add flavorings like she suggest at the bottom of her page and make sure you trim off the "crust" and don't overbake it. I also like to cover the cake with chocolate ganache, seals in moisture. However, I do have a pound cake recipe that I like better. Here it is... 2 sticks of real butter, softened. 3 cups of sugar, 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 tsp. soda, 3 cups sifted cake flour, 1 tsp. lemon extract, 1 tsp. vanilla extract. combine dry ingredients, set aside, combine buttter and sugar until creamy, incorporate the eggs, sour cream and whipping cream until smooth, slowly add in the dry ingredients then the flavorings. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hrs, depending on size of pan used at 325 degrees. I use this recipe to carve the topsy turvey cakes.