Cakes in food processor?

annaangeluk_2

Do food processors make decent cakes? When I moved house I managed to lose my electric hand whisk and I'm thinking of replacing it in time for dd's birthday on sunday when I'm planning on making loads and loads of cakes!

I can't decide between getting a cheap electric whisk (approx £4) an electric whisk with stand and bowl (approx £15) or a cheapish food processor (approx £50).

If the food processor makes decent enough cakes then I think I will get a fair bit of use out of it for other things too, if not then it's probably a waste of money!

Does any else use a food processor for cake making?

Thanks in advance

Anna x

Primrose

I use my food processor so rarely that it's stored right at the back of a cupboard. By the time I've emptied everything out to get at it, I could have mixed a cake by hand ! It's good for making quick pasty though, but there always seems to be such a lot of washing up with it afterwards. Probably if you regularly make lots of cakes and do a lot of baking, a food processor would save you time.

sallyrsm

If you get one with a whisk attachment, yes. I've got an old Kenwood with the cream whisks, dough hook, liquidiser, coffee/spice grinder the lot...

Nicki

I have Braun Multiprac (which has a whisk attachment) but it doesn't make good cakes I'm afraid. The bowl needs the lid on before it work so not enough air gets in and the cakes are heavy. I'd go for a hand held whisk plus a fp when you can afford it

purpleivy

I got my Braun Multiprac as a wedding gift in 1986. One of the first things I did was throw away the whisk and bowl, as it was so useless. Already had a hand mixer. The Braun is still going strong, bit of a shame as I fancy the big Magimix one!

Nicki wrote: »

I have Braun Multiprac (which has a whisk attachment) but it doesn't make good cakes I'm afraid. The bowl needs the lid on before it work so not enough air gets in and the cakes are heavy. I'd go for a hand held whisk plus a fp when you can afford it

Gingernutmeg

A food processor is good for chopping and blending, but I've never been able to make nice cakes in one. You can make nice scones in them though, if you find a good recipe (Linda Collister's 'The Baking Book' has a good blender scone recipe). I personally find that even the 'blender cake recipes' are no good, giving you cakes that are too hard and dense.

If I was picking between the three, I'd personally go for the electric whisk, only because I hate creaming the butter and sugar by hand (and I've got a tiny kitchen lol, so no real storage space for anything bigger). Most cakes need bit of folding by hand anyway, so to me the hassle of cleaning a blender isn't worth it, as you've got to put the mix in another bowl. Cleaning a couple of beaters is no real hassle at all.

blue-kat

I make huge all-in-one sponge traybakes for my son to take into school in my magimix, and they go down a treat.
but then it's not the cheapest food processor. and all-in-one isn't the most demanding recipe, or demanding cake consumers

as hand held whisks can be bought so cheaply, I'd recommend getting one for cakes and food processor for the other stuff.

is there anything wrong with the really cheap hand held elec whisks?
e.g. this one at £3.96 at Argos

belfastgirl23

Mine has a whisking disk in the bowl. It's c**p unfortunately, won't even whisk up egg whites I always end up using my old reliable electric beaters.

anonymousie

I make a very serviceable all in one cake in the food proscessor- just using the ordinary blade (also use it for the divine Nigella choc fudge cake!).

Maybe not so light as a whisked cake but quick and easy and I put a bit extra baking powder in! I feed 3 kids who are only moderately discerning but I haven't had complains from visiting rellies either:rotfl:

If you buy a food proscessor get the biggest you can with a decent motor and keep it on the work top- if you can't do that don't bother as you wont use it if you have to get it out each time!!

I use mine often (not daily as I do big multi meal "cook ups" so we have leftovers or freezer eats between cooking days). Brilliant for soup/stew/casserole cooking -pretty much anything:T

BUT don't liquidise in the main proscessor- what ever it says the soup will creep up the sides and out- I havea had held cheap stick blender for that.

beverleyhills

I would get the cheap whisk while you think more about it.
Less washing up.
Takes up less storage space.
You do need a decent motor that makes a food processor fit for purpose, I had one burn out on Christmas Day one year! They come more expensive.

[Deleted User]

I have a food processor that I use for mincing and blitzing veggies but to make a cake I still rely on a large fork and a bit of elbow grease. I can't be bothered with all the washing up of the attachments afterwards and a fork only takes a minute to wash up

P.S. and I'm too mean to stick it on for just whisking up a cake ,it's hardly worth it .