Why can#t I make nice cakes?

Geeves1980

I've really tried to get into this homebaking thing and have been convinced of all the positives and benefits blah blah, but everything I've tried so far has just not turned out the way I expected.

I've not had any complete disasters (except the chocolate muffins which went in the bin) but the cakes are just so so and I want to make something that is really nice.

I use good ingredients and have spent ages trying to find good recipes and read up on hints and tips, but am still not getting it.

So far there's been;

1) Carrot cake (Mary Berry recipe)

Rose reasonably well and tasted ok. I put some cinnamon and nutmeg in it which was nice. It wasn't as light as I would have liked and I didn't chop the walnuts small enough so was too nutty.

Re; the heavy texture - I may have over stirred the flour in a bit too much and was too heavy and I had to leave one tin out of the oven while the other cooked as the wouldn't both fit - would this cause it to lose lightness?

2) Banana cake (Waitrose website recipe)

This actually tastes nice but the texture ends up crumbly and falls apart. I've had to cook it for over 25 mins more than stated (I put some foil over it to stop it browning too much) as it was still so wet in the middle.

Did I end up just drying out out too much? Would it be a good idea to cut down on the amount of oil the recipe calls for, was the mixture just too wet to start with?

Was the tin I used maybe too deep? I think I'm using a 2lb loaf tin (Is the Jamie Oliver silicone loaf mould) but maybe the tin is too deep and making the cake too thick?

3) Scones (recipe from my dish)

Again these were ok but ended up like nice rock cakes.

These didn't rise well at all and I thought I cut them out quite thick. Did I handle the mixture too much when rolling and cutting? I also wanted them soft on top but they were crisp (like rock cakes), did I just leave them in the oven too long?

4) Double chocolate muffins (Susan Reimer book)

The worst attempt so far.

These were so bland, nowhere near enough sugar, but if I add to much more will it mess with the texture of the batter.

I used Green & Blacks cocoa powder and dark chocolate for the chips (a left over from a gift hamper) and it was all so bitter (probably made worse by muffin not sweet enough.

The texture was too dense even though I was really careful about folding in the flour and not over mixing it.
I really wanted them to be light, moist and gooey, but they were the complete opposite!

Sorry for the long post, but i really want to be good at this and it's not going well.

The OH was initially excitedly waiting for delicious home baked treats, but now his waiting face is really saying "couldn't you have just bought one instead?!"

What am I doing wrong? Is it the recipes or me?

Fen1

Using the correct tin for the job does make a difference. There are sites out there which help convert mixes for different size tins, but it is usually better to have a few basic size round tins.

If you are new to baking, you may not be used to the way your oven works. It can take many attempts with different types of cakes to find out how yours bakes. My last oven scorched one side, leaving the other raw, so I just didn't bother using the oven anymore. I now have a gorgeous new oven that does everything I ask of it.

You could try making stove-top cakes, e.g. Welsh cakes, drop scones, to get practicing.


Some recipes are actually better than others for different cooks. My mother's recipe for crumble is lovely when she does it, but not for me. I have to use a totally different method. Just one of those things.:rolleyes:

mazza111

Could you be overbeating after adding the eggs perhaps? Always found that cakes n such go a wee bit tougher when overbeating.

Geeves1980

The oven is a problem, the temperature is unreliable and when more than one thing is in there, stuff takes ages to cook.

I've bought an oven themometer and put it on the same shelf as the tins so I can ensure the temperature is correct.

It's mainly the loaf tin size I'm not sure on, it looks too big to be a 1lb tin but the fact I have doubts means I may be wrong!.

I do find it confusing that there are so manby different recipes for the same cake. I guess it's just trial and error finding the one that suits your own taste.

This however, is becoming a bit demoralising!

frivolous_fay

I wouldn't have thought the depth of the tin would be too vital, if the diameter is correct. Is your self-raising flour in date? Do you know if your oven's thermostat is accurate?

Geeves1980

mazza111 wrote: »

Could you be overbeating after adding the eggs perhaps? Always found that cakes n such go a wee bit tougher when overbeating.

Possibly, hadn't really thought of that being a problem.

I did wonder as well if I wasn't creaming the butter and sugar together vigorously enough and getting enough lightness in at the begining?

Geeves1980

All the ingredients are in date, they've all been bought in the last few weeks.

MarsdenCuckoo

Am no expert myself but seems logical to me to practice on one recipe until you perfect it instead of trying a variety. You comment on the problems of each one so just tweek in accordance with your own comments....

As for your OH - why not get him involved i.e. both try out the same recipe and see whose is best? (Might also give you some more pointers how to get it just right - and if you're lucky his will be better and save you a job! LOL)

Geeves1980

I've been making notes after each attempt and agree that trying to perfect one rather than trying lots of diffeent is a good idea.

As for getting the OH involved I'd hate for him to come along and get it right first time. He's the sort who already thinks he's better than most on, oh just about everything (and anything he's not good at is a rubbish thing anyway!) He's really competitive and annoyingly, for this reason, usually gets very good at things quickly.

I think this is why I'm being super critical of myself as I have high standards I want to achieve and know how critical he is when tasting stuff. When he says something is good, I know it genuinely is.

(I realise I'm making him sound awful but he's actually lovely!)

Geeves1980

I've just remembered the brownies that I made.

5) Chocolate brownies (online recipe)

These were chocolate with white and milk chocolate chunks and pecans. These were also made with Green and Blacks chocolate and an obscene amount of butter melted with the dark chocolate (the milk and white were to make the chunks/chips to add to batter).

They were however very rich and the chocolate taste too heavy! Also the texture was a little too cakey and not chewy enough.

I imagine cutting down the amount of butter, melted with the chocolate reduces the richness/fattiness, but would this affect the overall balance of the batter in turns of consistency/quantity?

Also I read that more sugar, less flour gives a chewier result and more flour less sugar gives a cakier result - does this sound right?

Now that I've finished with the Green & Blacks gifts I don't think I'll bother with it again, it just seems too overpowering and the dark has an after taste I don't like. I might try Lindt as I've enjoyed munching away at that in the past!

purpleivy

I tend to use value chocolate or whatever is to hand for general baking purposes, e.g brownies etc.

I think that brownies are a bit tricky, as you have to take them out of the oven while they still look underdone. THey seem to carry on cooking and firm up after they come out of the oven. I'm a very experience (once trained) cook and I still find this tricky.

My carrot cake is always reasonably heavy.

I have the Susan Reimer book, but much to my family's disgust I only ever make the banana ones, as we always seem to have bananas that need using up.

Scones certainly don't like to be overmixed.


Do you have any friends whose cakes you have enjoyed that would share their recipes with you?