Arg! Urgent cake frame advice needed!

[MrsHappy]

I bought a cake frame to make my DD's birthday cake (party is tomorrow) and it came with no info, and the shop's phone number is not working, so I have some questions.

Firstly, how do I figure out quantities? I normally make a 2 egg sponge for a 20cm cake tin. The frame is bigger than a 20cm cake tin, even allowing for the difference in shape, so I am just making a 3 egg sponge instead. Or is there a more scientific way of doing this?

And secondly, the frame, obviously, is bottomless and I have it sat on a baking sheet but they don't come together perfectly and I am worried the cake mix will escape. What should I do?

Does the frame need lining? How the heck does one line a '3'?!

Please help!

[blametheparents]

Yikes, sounds quite tricky.

Have you made it yet?

No advice really, but thought I would share your pain!

And BUMP for you

aN

[Xavielli]

Hmmm Purely guess work here. But my intial ideas would be either to place greaseproof paper on the baking tray then place the frame on it. The mixture should attatch itself quite well to the paper and not move outside the frame too much.

To line it, cut greaseproof paper to the size of the individual insides (i.e one piece for the top-outside curve of the 3, bottom-outside, top-inside, bottom-inside then all the straight sides) and stick them to the insides of the frame with butter. If you left an inch or so at the bottom of all of these and folded them so they were inside the frame this should stop leakage too.

Failing that make a big square cake and use the frame as a cutter.... lol. Then you can use the leftovers to make mini cakes (Or just scoff)

[MrsHappy]

Yes! I have triumped over the cake!

Thanks for bumping and for advice.

I ended up lining the tin sides (with a long strip) and the bottom. The side strip was folded over a little at the bottom, making flaps on which the lining for the bottom sat. After a lot of swearing everything stayed in place.

I found a website that referred to a 750g mix for a tin like this and decided that meant a 4 egg mix.

Anyway, it turned out ok, has been cooked, flattened, cut, filled and iced in garish colours.

It was work though. Next year she can have a round chocolate sponge covered in smarties. Much more sensible!

[blametheparents]

Good to hear it worked out.

She will love it

[lilyrose123]

i had EXACTY same problem two weeks ago with a number one frame! half the mixture came out on the first attempt, rang a bakers round the corner for advice as the cake shop shut, theysuggested lining it but it was too difficult , ended up weighing frame down with casseole dish and making another half and gluing the two together with butter cream and jam after icingnd decs took total of 8hours!i'm with you on the round choc smge next year LOL

[MrsHappy]

Lilyrose. I knew I couldn't be the only person reduced to a wreck by a cake frame!

I ended up folding the top of the lining paper over the top of the tin and taping it on. Not ideal I suspect, but needs must.

Did also consider the idea of weighing the thing down but that seemed like a bit of faff.

There is clearly a market for springform number tins. In the meantime am going to put my number 3 on Ebay.

[lilyrose123]

i hired mine from a local cake shop £2 for three days i thought was quite resonable......til we tried to make it!!!! LOL