That's it. I just cannot bake.

[SundayGirlB]

Another recipe followed another cake disaster. Out of god knows how many attempted cakes I can remember maybe 2 that were edible. I follow the recipes. What is happening here.

The latest effort is a courgette and lemon cake. The first one was one of the 2 edible cakes and lovely. I was winning at life. This 3rd attempt has been in the fan oven on 160 as per the recipe for 1hour and the knife is still coming out wet. I've done it all the same.

Why why why why. Baking is either high physics or sorcery. I CANNOT DO IT BUT CAN'T STOP TRYING. That is all.

That looks fabulous justanotherneighinparadise, although, as I really dislike the taste of rapeseed oil, I would use light olive oil instead. I am certainly going to give that a try.

Get your confidence up by practicing baking something really simple like an all in one Victoria sandwich cake, you can get fancy with the fillings and toppings. Once you are happy doing that, you could branch out into chocolate cakes, lemon drizzle, then maybe go on to something like banana bread or brownies.
Courgettes have a very high water content, I've never made a courgette cake but I would imagine it's quite a tricky ingredient to make a reliable cake with.

I bake lots with a group of beginners and find the best ones to try are recipes by -
Mary Berry
Rachel Allen
Nigella Lawson
Delia smith
All tried and tested reliable for novice and experienced alike
Read a few recipes through thoroughly before settling upon one , try to make something straightforward and simple and once you have mastered that branch out to more adventurous
Tray bakes and sandwich cakes are a good start as they are not too deep so not requiring hours of cooking time
Try to find recipes that use more traditional cake ingredients to start , courgette will be wet and temperamental for a novice with the exception being carrot cake - that's usually pretty easy and robust
Don't give up , it's just a matter of keep practicing , everyone has a few disasters along the way , it's called learning !

Try a Mary berry Victoria sponge.
Correct size cake tins.
Don't give up, just try simpler stuff

Same advice as everyone else really - start with simple, classic recipes and treat it like you are doing a chemistry experiment so be very precise. I consider myself quite a good baker - one of my children has multiple food allergies including eggs and dairy so I have to be, as it is hard to find suitable bought cakes - but I wouldn't attempt stuff like a courgette cake. Sandwich cakes are definitely easier to get right than larger cakes, and I think fairy cakes are easier still. There is always some practice required and you need to get to know your oven. If I put a cake too high in the oven it always gets overdone down the right hand side, but put the shelf down a notch and its fine. Obviously I found that out the hard way. The more you practice, the better you get.
Try something like a fruity flapjack as that is really tasty and very easy. Or if you have a bread machine ot a slow cooker there are usually suitable recipes for things like gingerbread, fruit cakes, banana loaf etc where you basically chuck the ingredients in and leave it to it. Once you have had a few successful bakes, try something a bit harder, but in my opinion often the simplest recipes are the tastiest. Don't give up!

Mrs avocet, my gf and df walnut and raisin muffins are lovely
Made with coconut flour, coconut oil and coconut or almond milk. Yesterday I put some boozy berries left over from Christmas ( aldi)
Very nice

Walnut and raisin muffins
We often warm them and serve with meridian wild blueberry jam

Ingredients
1⁄4 cup sifted TIANA Fair Trade Organic Coconut Baking Flour
2 tablespoons TIANA Fair Trade Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil or butter, melted
2 tablespoons TIANA coconut milk made using TIANA Organic Raw Coconut Goodness 3 tablespoons TIANA Pure Organic Raw Active Wild Flower Honey
3 eggs
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
Method
Blend together eggs, butter, coconut milk, honey, salt and vanilla. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Pour batter into greased muffin cups. Bake at 205 Degree C (400F) for 15 minutes. Makes 6 muffins

I usually make a dozen, so a bit heavy on eggs...uses 6

Did the recipe specify weight of courgette, or just number?

If it asked for one large courgette, and you and the author don't agree what size a large courgette is, that will have consequences.

We make a 4/4/4 mix and it literally never fails. 4oz butter, 4oz sugar - cream together. 2 eggs. 4oz sr flour and a half spoon of baking powder. Make a double mix to do a sponge cake. Layer with jam. It never ever fails. Light as a feather.

We had it last night as a mincemeat upside down cake. With custard.

I think you're aiming too high OP.

You can make an identical mixture but add 8oz flour instead of 4 and leave out the baking powder to bake a lovely biscuit mix too.

Of course you can bake - we all have little disasters in the kitchen! I usually try a few versions of a recipe to find what works/tastes best and find that times/temps can sometimes be way out with my oven.

Don’t worry too much. I have had failures even with Delia’s ‘foolproof’ ones.
I do have a Mary Berry essential cake book which is reliable.
I still find muffin recipes hit and miss.
As someone else commented BBC good food ones that are highly rated are usually good too.

To be honest, if you are putting courgette in a cake you deserve all you get, you monster.

Why not make a lovely, vegetable-free, Victoria sponge or chocolate cake? I have a Good Housekeeping cake book that is very reliable, or google a Mary Berry recipe. And step away from the slimy green cake-wrecking ingredients.

I think Delia’s Book of Cakes is the best, especially for a beginner. Start off with some simple stuff from that - many of the recipes are online.

I bake a lot and as long as you use a bbc good food with over 4* rating you'll be okay.

Courgette in a cake sounds disgusting, worse than chocolate and beetroot that was doing the rounds a few years ago

OP, check your oven temp with an over thermometer, then master simple stuff like a Vicky sponge, scones and shortbread or gingerbread, before you start adding stuff like courgettes. Make sure the oven is preheated and use ingredients at room temperature. If a recipe uses baking powder or bicarb, don’t hang about once that is in. Stick to Mary or Delia recipes. Good quality silicone cake tins are useful too (but cheap ones are a false economy; Lakeland ones are great).

BTW - I cook vic sponges perfectly fine at 160 in my fan oven.

Courgette cake is lovely! There's a coffee shop that bakes them near me and I had never heard of it but was pursuaded to give it a go.

Two things come to mind - you didn't use enough flour in the mix/too much courgette made it too wet

Or your oven isn't actually cooking to temp and you need an oven thermometer to test that.

Don't give up!

Courgette in cake is lovely! I've had one before and when someone competent bakes it, its delicious. To clarify this was a courgette and lemon drizzle cake not just courgette.

Will try something basic next, also think the oven is off as sometimes have issues with everyday cooking too...

Anyone got a recipe for courgette cake? I have a lot to use and made courgette bread once and it wasn’t very nice!

yy to getting an oven thermometer.
my last rickety old gas oven ran cold by 30 degrees

new (but still a bit shit) John Lewis electric oven runs 30 degrees too hot. Everything that I used to give 15minutes extra now needs 10 minutes less than the recipe says.

Use a really simple Victoria Sponge recipe to test your oven. Only use recipes you've got the right tin for. And be aware that there ARE some rubbish recipes out there so it won't be all your fault.

Also If your oven does run cold, then this is perfect for rich fruit cakes that need to be cooked long and slow.

My cooker is way past it’s best - I hadn’t realised until I visited family and used my aunts amazing Rolly Royce of a oven and - wow! But then my mum used an ancient range-type cooker when I was a child and she was an amazing cook.

Ginfordinner earlier up the thread makes many excellent points, including using the right size and shape of tin. That makes a an enormous difference.

I'd also repeat as have others courgettes AND lemons are really tricky ingredients to use.

I know the recipe specifies about 200g of grated courgette, but if you think about it, the water content can vary massively according to how ripe they are. It also asks for the the juice of 1 lemon in the cake mix - a lemon can be not much larger than a lime or nearly the size of an orange; some are really juicy some dry.

Those two variables in how much liquid goes into the batter are easily enough to make the difference between a triumph and disaster. You are much better starting with something simple.

Don't give up

I used to be you OP. Loved baking & baked goods but couldn't bake for shit (a good cook in all other respects - in fact I now do it for a living). I however refused to give up!

As PPs have said. Start with something simple like a Victoria sponge (Mary Berry's is a good one) or a tray type bake (blondie/brownie). Get an oven thermometer, use the correct tin size & use exact measures.

Most importantly you need to increase your confidence as cakes KNOW when you're not feeling confident & will deliberately go wrong!

I agree 100% with everything @Ginfordinner has said above.

Baking is not just a sweeter version of cooking. I speak from bitter experience over the years. You can't just bumble along, adding little extras that you might fancy, the way you can with cooking. You have to follow the recipe exactly, 100% to the letter! It's a science definitely.

Get yourself an oven thermometer is the only thing I can add to Gin's excellent advise. About a fiver on Amazon. Worth every penny.

I always avoid any recipe that does not give exact quantities. Baking is all about precision - saying 2 medium carrots for a carrot cake, or the juice of 1 lemon is not good enough, knowing the exact weight is the key to success in baking. Oven temperature matters too.