To think that cakes made with stork taste awful?

[hopingforamiracle]

I don't understand how it's so popular. Yes it makes the cake much lighter but it tastes bloody AWFUL. I prefer the taste of butter but it makes a heavy cake. Shall I use clover instead? Also, I find buttercream really sickly... how can I make it less sickly?

I'm always polite about peoples baking, but i really don't enjoy marge based cakes at all but will eat some then proclaim it's too good not too share and then feed the rest to one of the children to avoid being rude to the baker.

It's a huge disappointment when a cake looks delicious but tastes atrocious. I don't think i'm a supertaster but i can always 100% spot a boxed cake mix cake, as the taste is very distinctive to me.

Someone once suggested to me to use stork when making cakes, never again. I use clover for the cakes and butter for buttercream

Bunbaker Do your cakes look beautiful? I think a lot of people will rave about a well decorated cake even if it tastes so/so. Like, so and so bakes the best cakes. But really they decorate the best cakes.

Mine are all substance, but not much style goldvelvet I am a home baker and make cakes that taste good. If they look good as well then that is a bonus. I really can't taste the difference between a plain sponge cake that I have made with Stork and one made with butter. Perhaps it is the addition of a little vanilla paste that makes all the difference?

People ask me to make birthday cakes for them because they like my baking.

Id agree with that. We have a couple of people in the office who have designated themselves baker for big birthdays. They are very pretty cakes but usually taste horrendous.

Mine taste lovely but if I attempt to decorate them then they look horrendous

I find that beating the eggs before adding to the mixture makes them lighter as well. It's all about getting lots of air into the mixture. I beat it all really well until I add the flour, which I fold in really gently.

If you personally can't taste the difference do you use stork just because it's cheaper?

It's just vanilla paste is an expensive ingredient so don't understand why you'd scrimp on one of the key bulk ingredients of a cake (that also adds flavour) to cover then it up with an expensive flavouring?

The crumb of a marge cakes seems much bigger to me and it's got an aftertaste it's quite greasy and the cake just doesn't taste as natural. Butter has a good natural distinctive taste to it, stork doesn't to me.

I have never noticed the difference in taste for cakes made with stork vs. butter. I often use Flora. Could you stork-haters comment on the use of Flora? Just as bad?

I use Stork because it gives better results. The few pence I would save by not using butter is negligible. My cakes are never greasy or heavy.

I bake in a gas oven BTW, not electric. I wouldn't use margarine for making biscuits and, especially not shortbread because I can taste the difference there. I genuinely don't think that the sponge cakes I make that are made with butter taste any better than those made with Stork.

This thread has prompted me to do another butter vs Stork sponge cake test on the family. But it will have to wait until after Easter as I have given them up for lent and I want to taste the results as well

I have to very reluctantly use margarine, in my baking at work now. I can categorically say, without question, that it is vile. Everything I make I can taste that awful fake greasiness. There is absolutely no substitute for butter.

What is Flora? It's a branded margarine, right? Why would it be different?

Look, things are either butter or not butter.

I use the same method as fatlazymummy and add vanilla essence (not flavouring) to the beaten egg. I agree with goldvelvet the crumb is bigger and the cake is greasy when you use marg/stork.

Bunbaker don't do it on the family as they are probably very used to the taste of stork in sponges as that's what you mostly use.

Do it with some friends or colleagues instead as you'll probably get a more unbiased answer.

I always use butter, the taste is so much better. Using sponge flour makes the cake light and fluffy, as well as creaming the butter and sugar for aaaaaaages.

The thing is I always bake with Stork and all my friends love my baking. They aren't just being polite.

When I bake for church fund raising my cakes always sell quickly because I have built up a bit of a good reputation for baking. My cakes are honestly never greasy.

I use stork for buns, in sandwiches, in mash and on toast...I can honestly say I don't really notice the difference between that and any other margarine. Sometimes I do get real butter if I'm making a big cake or butter cream.

And those that said people are just being polite about my cakes if I use stork...well in the case why are they eating 2 or 3 ?! And also I like them and my dh likes them and he definitely wouldn't be polite

I am also tempted to do a butter vs stork cake test !

I always use the all-in-one method as well.

Saint Nigella of Lawson has the best all-in-one cake recipe - I use it for everything - cakes, cupcakes, bakewell tarts - everything. It's 6oz flour, 4oz sugar, 4oz butter/stork, 1tsp baking powder, 2 eggs. Whack the whole lot in together making sure the fat is very soft room temp and beat. And that's it. Add flavourings if you want - i.e. grated lemon rind in this makes an excellent base for a lemon drizzle cake.
For less sweet buttercream it's worth learning to make Italian Meringue buttercream. Yes, it's a fuckabout and it might be intimidating but after you've done it once and you realise it's not all that hard you'll use it forever more.

And those that said people are just being polite about my cakes if I use stork...well in the case why are they eating 2 or 3 ?! And also I like them and my dh likes them and he definitely wouldn't be polite grin

I think it's a bit like really cheap chocolate or chocolate flavouring. Say rice crispy chocolate nest made with chocolate flavouring. I don't like the taste that much at all but I'd probably eat one, maybe two if I was craving chocolate and there was nothing else, especially as I see home baking as a treat.

But i'd much prefer the taste of a chocolate nest made with cadburys chocolate. I'd enjoy it much more as I prefer the taste of real chocolate.

What is Flora? It's a branded margarine
It isn't now labelled as a margarine (or wasn't last time I looked), but as a spread. Margarine has a higher fat content (80%, the equivalent of butter) than most modern spreads such as Flora, though this version of Flora has a higher fat content than the other versions. With the spreads you are paying for a lot of water added to the mix which makes them easier to spread on bread but doesn't make them as good for making cakes.

Well I'm doing some baking for friends this week I will use real butter and see what happens!

Maybe I just like cake too much and am therefore not discerning at all...I'm happy to just have cake!

"But i'd much prefer the taste of a chocolate nest made with cadburys chocolate."

I think Cadburys make rank chocolate. It's no better than cheap cooking chocolate.

The Nigella recipe sounds like it would make a dry cake. The proportions are usually 6 oz each of flour, marge and sugar to 3 eggs.

Cadbury's and that chocolate flavouring cooking "chocolate" have completely different tastes and texture. If you did a taste test on these you'd be able to tell the difference.

I think this is where you are going wrong I think maybe your taste buds aren't as sensitive possibly.

Lol @ goldvelvet sneering and generally being very rude about cakes (he/she has not even tasted) that are made with Stork and then proclaiming cadburys to be real chocolate