Anyone else just a really appalling baker?

[HarrySnotter]

Or is it just me?

I'm a pretty good cook but bloody hell, I really can't bake.

Oven temp is right, ingredients always at right temperature (eggs etc), I always try to buy decent ingredients where possible but nothing ever comes out nice. At all. Family started off trying to save my feelings but when your 16 year old DS tells you 'mum, sometimes you have to just accept that you're not very good at something and you really are a crap baker', with a sympathetic head tilt, perhaps it's time to give up. But I love it and I continue in the vain hope that I will produce one of those lovely creations that everyone else seems to be able to make.

I made biscuits today and they sank in the middle. How is that even possible? Ddog, who is a labrador ergo a greedy bastard, was hanging around waiting for a treat. Did he want one of my sunken biscuits? No. He did not.

If you're making a basic sponge cake, weigh the eggs in their shells then weigh out the same amount in the other ingredients - fat, sugar and flour.

I'm going to do it this today! What kind of flour and do I need baking powder?

I would love to blame my oven but I've tried both (double oven with one fan, one not) and I made a cake at MILs just before Christmas and it was shite. She produces baked goods to guarantee she'll go to heaven in that same oven so it must be me. She was genuinely amazed that I could make a simple sponge cake 'look and taste so bad'. 🤣

Hi OP you need self raising flour. If you use the all-in-one method you need to add baking powder to the flour too. If you use the creaming method you don't need the baking powder. If you only have plain flour, add two teaspoons of baking powder to every 150g/6oz flour, sifted together. Then you'll need a bit extra if you use the all-in-one method.

My baking skills used to be dubious. I can cook anything pretty well but baking I used to be a no go.

To be fair I'm still pretty useless, but I have two fail proof methods now .

One is for a Swiss chocolate sponge cake that is a weird recipe but makes the most amazing cake. How, I'll never understand.

The other one is for scones, very basic, no egg recipe. This one was my grandmothers and before the chocolate cake came along a few years ago it was the only thing I could bake for 30 years.

Maybe it's the literal following of recipes? I don't think I've ever religiously followed a single recipe in my life. I use them as guidelines. Sure that didn't work great when I was 7 (my poor DM), but pretty much since then a failed bake has not really happened.

Or possibly it's genetic. Everyone in my family seems to be a good baker, including DB and his sons.

One is for a Swiss chocolate sponge cake that is a weird recipe but makes the most amazing cake. How, I'll never understand.

I need this receipe please! @planningaheadtoday

@wowfudge you sound like you really know what you're doing and you would be mortified by my efforts.

Ha ha - I enjoy baking though I still haven't got to grips with our range cooker properly . I had the benefit of being taught by someone who taught catering so I think my basic techniques are pretty good. It also meant I learned how to diagnose what had gone wrong when something didn't work out and I got given lots of hints and tips. I read recipe books like they're novels.

Good baker here and I don't measure most of the time and am always making up recipes.

Years ago I had lots of disasters.
I have a Kitchen Aid, which I ignore mostly in favour of mixing with a fork.

Biggest single thing with baking that i have learnt is go lightly.

When mixing flour in, do it as lightly and as quickly as possible.....seconds too long and the cake will be heavy.

A basic Madeira cake is the BEST cake to perfect.

From there you can add ingredients, add flavourings, fruit, ice it.

But a basic Madeira Pound cake mixture in a tin perfected, will be the making of you as a baker.

It was for me.

@HarrySnotter

Magical Swiss chocolate cake

It's not actually Swiss chocolate, it's a recipe from my friends Swiss grandmother. But I expect she uses Swiss drinking chocolate....

5oz self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
6oz caster sugar
6oz soft margarine
3 oz Cadbury drinking chocolate
3 large eggs or 4 smaller ones
3 tablespoons of boiling water

Put everything in a bowl and mix gently until it comes together. Then beat more vigorously for two mins.

Immediately divide between two sandwich tins and bake in preheated oven 180oC for 30-35 mins

This was my recent attempt for an Easter celebration, I increased the amounts by 1/2 to get this size......

@planningaheadtoday Thank you, that looks amazing!

Here is a perfect biscuit recipe which I learned during my patisserie training.
cakehousepudsey.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/viennese-swirls/

I’ve found my people!!

Anyone for cookie cakes? (An attempt at cookie which turned out more like cakes, still washed down ok with a cup of tea alright 🤣)