To ask for help!

[CatchingBabies]

Ok posting here for traffic but please help me anyway.

I'm baking a cake today for my partners birthday and I've never baked in my life before unless a packet mix (pathetic i know)!

I've found a recipe online that I'm using but it's too small so I'm doubling it up, do I double everything, even eggs?

Yes.

Yes!

Yes, but don't double the cooking time. It'll take longer to bake, but not that much longer. I guessing it's a sponge cake, so use the wooden skewer through the centre to see if it's cooked trick.

Ok so in that case my recipe is:

300g self raising flour
400g caster sugar
100g cocoa powder
400g butter
8 medium eggs

That's seems a LOT of eggs.

And the buttercream:

100g dark chocolate
400g icing sugar
200g butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

All sound ok?

It's a chocolate cake, didn't think about cooking times but I will watch it closely and i do have a skewer.

I'm gonna decorate it with chocolate fingers and malteasers. 😀

That seems like a large cake. I'm old school imperial so a nice size family cake for me is:
4 eggs
8 oz butter
8 oz soft brown sugar
6 oz SR flour
2 oz cocoa powder

I would also add a couple of drops of vanilla to the cake mix and a melted bar of cadbury's dairy milk. ( I melt it with the butter on defrost in the microwave but watch it like a hawk)
I then whack them all into a bowl and whisk.

Using those large quantities is ok but make sure your cake tin is big enough.

Sounds delicious!

It is a large cake. I have a 12 inch cake tin and am doing 2 layers

Are you sure you have doubled up correctly. Seems a lot of eggs for 300 g of flour

3 large eggs
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
175g (6 oz)caster sugar
175g (6 oz) softened butter
1½ level tsp baking powder
40g (1½ oz) cocoa powder
This is a Mary Berry recipe ingredients which makes enough for 2 x 17cm (7 in) deep sandwich tins

It's for 300g flour + 100g cocoa, so 8 eggs is right.

You'll be fine. Make sure you grease the tins. Oh, and don't open the oven door while it's cooking. (this will make it sink down /not rise)

I would warn any amateur baker to avoid starting with such a large cake in a 12" cake tin.

Naturally some ovens are better than others, but it's quite difficult to get a consistent bake, especially if you are not very experienced.

I would recommend wet towel strips wrapped in foil around and pinned around the outside of the tin to stop the edges cooking too quickly and leaving the centre under-cooked.

It does sound similar to that one:

cherrymenlove.com/easy-chocolate-cake-recipe/

sorry, posted too soon but if the photos are correct, looks good!

Ok cake all mixed, does it look ok or too wet??

Ruth - I have done what you suggested, they are not pinned though, more resting as had nothing to pin them with. Oven is on at 180 degrees, that sound ok?

I'm in way over my head here!! It's my partners 30th tomorrow and we have people round so needs to be a big cake. Couldn't afford the prices quoted so here I am trying my best lol.

How is it?

Looks good. I am hopeless at baking but if you do 4,4,4,2 you get a sponge:

• 4oz butter
• 4oz sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4oz self raising flour

I do this a lot and just add apple/ cocoa powder/ whatever. It always seems ok. Remember to grease the tins and preheat the oven.

That's it done, that's the bottom but it's done well. Didn't rise like I hoped and I need it taller so have just put a second batch in the oven and will sandwich the two cakes rather than cutting one in half like originally planned.