A baking question......

[BertrandRussell]

I like to make a whole cake sometimes, rather than two to sandwich together. I have a heavy which I use, and 3 recipes, chocolate, ginger and carrot which I rotate. I bake them for longer and cooler-and cover the top with baking parchment because it's inclined to singe a bit because of the longer baking time. They are all very wet mixtures- the carrot obviously has oil in it, the ginger is made like gingerbread and the chocolate has melted chocolate and sour cream in it. Does anyone know a recipe for a plain sponge sort of cake that I could make as a "one" like this without it drying out?

*I have a heavy tin , obviously!

A polenta cake (either orange or lemon) would be really good for this. The polenta will keep it moist and it needs a while to bake to make sure it’s cooked through. I’ll find you my favourite orange cake recipe when I get home.

I do this with a standard Victoria sponge recipe - weigh eggs, same weight of sugar, flour and butter. Bake at a much lower temp than recommended - 150 or thereabouts and for much longer, an hour or so. Put a couple of tablespoons of water in the bottom of the oven when you start off to keep it moist.

I normally make chiffon cake in a single cake tin. It’s a lovely light sponge. This is a basic recipe (I use one from an ancient cookbook) but there are loads on the web.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.chowhound.com/recipes/basic-chiffon-cake-28648/amp

I would have thought any madeira would work. They are usually served as a whole cake. Also, American recipes for pound cake, which I think is a very similar sort of thing.

Thank you-ideas already! I've never made a Chiffon cake but have always meant to- do they keep or is it a polish off on the same day deal?
I'm really unsuccessful with Madeiras-mine have always turned into what my father called Choke Cake.......
Yes please to the Polenta cake recipe- and I'll have a go at the Victoria sponge- I assumed it wouldn't be robust enough to hold itself up. Watch this space!

Any sponge mix will work. Place a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven to keep it moist. Also, lay a strip of kitchen foil the length of the tin on the bench, soak some kitchen roll in water til it's quite wet, lay the kitchen roll in the middle of the foil & wrap the foil round the roll. This should create a baking belt. Wrap it round the tin & secure in place & it'll also keep the cake moist (& level). And add a piece of baking paper to the top to stop it burning part way through cooking.

Victoria will be fine. I usually bake mine as one deep cake and then slice on half to sandwich rather than make two separate cakes. I prefer crumb to crust so it works better for me and I only dirty one tin.

Chiffon cake in the oven as I type!