cake baking question help please

ubamother

Dan Lepard - my baking hero, suggests for a 'commercial' fluffy softness, adding a small amount of tapioca flour - an explanation through this link:
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/baking/story/0,,2213409,00.html

that might give the smoothness your dad is after

sillyvixen

maybe your dad has got too used to those artificial shop bought cakes - that he cant currently appreciate the far nicer home made cake!

hennagirl

I also found that I got a drier cake when using butter so have since stuck to using marg - full 79% one. It gives a much lighter texture.

I used to get that sugar grittiness when I mixed by hand but since using an electric hand whisk, have had no probs.

Also the type of oven affects the cake. I used to have an electric fan oven which produced drier, less fluffy cakes which were always browner on one side than the other. Since moving house, I have a fan assisted gas oven and the cakes turn out beautifully light.

BrandNewDay

hennagirl wrote: »

I also found that I got a drier cake when using butter so have since stuck to using marg - full 79% one. It gives a much lighter texture.

I thought I noticed this, too. I just baked my first cake with Stork and it was absolutely fantastic. I'd baked it once, before, and I don't remember it being that good.

Olliebeak

melie3 wrote: »

hi all :wave:
my dad 'moans' that my cakes are coarse, and not like 'shop bought'. i was wondering if its the caster sugar, how do you get that soft texture for sponge???

I think what's happening is that you're making a Victoria Sponge type of cake - same as the ones that I make.

Your dad is probably used to those boxed sandwich cakes (like Lyons, Mr Kipling etc). It've usually found that those are more like a fat-free sponge - very soft and squishy. It could be that's what your dad has become used to. It's no reflection on your cakes or baking, it's just that it's a 'different type' of sponge cake.

Those boxed sponge cakes don't last more than a couple of hours once they're out of their cellophane inner wrapper. I've found that any left on a plate begin to go 'a little crusty' before you can cling-film them.

This is a link to a recipe for a 'fat-free sponge cake':

http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/True_Sponge_Cake_Recipe

*the use of the word 'pan' in this recipe is the american equivalent of a baking tin.

rockie4

My MIL was a baker and told me that they used to use 'cake flour' in the shop. She made her own by substituting a quarter of the flour with corn flour, her cakes were lush!!

nannaC

melie3 wrote: »

ps i have a kenwood chef, which for a celebration cake i cream butter and sugar first then eggs and flour, or just chuck it all in for fairy cakes.

Hi Melie, you should have no problem if you have a good old Kenwood Chef, have used mine for baking for the last 30 years.
For victoria sponge/fairy cakes just put all ingredients in together, use the K beater and mix slowly first to combine then at full speed until pale and fluffy.
For fat free sponges [the very light ones] put eggs and castor sugar in bowl use the ballon whisk and whisk on full power until very pale and thick [like double cream, seive the flour into the mixture release the whisk and use this to fold in the flour very gently.
For rich fruit cakes put fruit half marg, half sugar, some tea [just enough to come half way up fruit into a large pan and bring to the boil, turn the heat down so it just simmers keep stirring until the liquid reduces and becomes thick, turn off heat leave to cool, you can then add slug of sherry or whiskey, bandy if you want [this gives th cake a rich flavour. Meanwhile put all rest of ingredients into chef and mix, then add to the cool fruit mix, transfer to tins, [dont worry if this looks slightly more sloppy than normal rich cakes it will cook fine, it just takes less time to cook than normal rich fruit cakes so keep checking. [I have even been known to use Guinness instead of tea when boiling the fruit]

SueC_2

My gran used to swear by beating in a tablespoon of boiled water into the mixture just before it went in the oven. No idea of the science behind it, but gran's generally seem to understand this kind of stuff...!