Advice needed on birthday cake

gailey_2

To save money considering baking my daughter a birthday cake.

Problem Im convinced is my oven-hubby thinks its me!

its old electric, non fan and I put stuff on top shelf for reccomebded time abd then they burn so fairy cakes take about 10 not 15.
if stuffs on 2nd shelf does not cook properly.

I have no love for my oven!

Was thinking chocolate or course is it similar recipie to fairy cakes.

Anyone got full proof really nice choc sponge recipie?

If I buy a mould tin off ebay will the cake actually maintain that shape?
or get stuck and broke?

Thourght about covcering it in choc butter icecream or choc fudge as that would hide any inperfections but how do I make that?

then can get some candles, som esprinkles
some fairy cake toppers and hopefully would have got away with it?


wonder how much will cost?

I dont mind baking for fun or just everyday stuff its the special occasions that stress me out as this cake will be seen and tasted by others!

I love cooking savoury dishes quite a good cook when not burning stuff but sometimes wonder if im lacking the baking gene!

Very nervous as could go horribly wrong?

its either bake or buy?

anna_p86

Firstly, I doubt it is you. I can cook beautiful cakes in my parents (amazing) oven but the one at my flat....no! It's terrible, as you say, they either come out burnt or not cooked in the middle...same with pizzas actually.

Just a thought, have you considered doing a non-cook cake? Something like this: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/no-bake-chocolate-cake-recipe.html

Problem is I know it's not traditional but just thinking outside the box. Put it this way, I wouldn't trust my oven to bake a birthday cake & the stress it would cause...well I wouldn't cope

nuatha

I'd bet that your oven isn't the temperature that your setting it at (my relatively new fan oven is about 15C out) one option is getting an oven thermometer and using that to guide you (adjust thermostat till thermometer shows the temp you need)

I find silicon moulds much easier to work with for fancier shapes, but swear by springform cake tins for round cakes (these have a loose bottom and a clip on the side that expands the cake tin for easy removal) the real key is to line the tin with baking parchment or silicon paper, let it sit in the cake tin for 30 minutes or more after its out of the oven, but don't remove the lining paper until the cake has completely cooled (and just gently peel it away).

There's a simple chocolate buttercream recipe here use a tall bowl and add the icing sugar gradually otherwise you and the kitchen disappear in a white dust fog - I learned that one the hard way.

That link is for a fancy fairy cake decorated with buttons, one alternative, given that cupcakes are trendy might be to do a display of cupcakes rather than one big birthday cake. That might take some of the pressure off as its something you're already comfortable baking.

(If you go the cupcake route, piping looks good and is easy to master, the first idea on this video shows the basic technique - to practise draw some circles on a piece of greaseproof paper, turn it over and practise piping the circles as if there were the cupcakes, scrape the icing off and back into your piping bag and try again (the first few will be awful (well mine were) it took me about two dozen to be fairly even and consistent and I pipe half a dozen onto greaseproof to get my hand back in if I haven't done any for a while.)

Good luck with it