I want to start baking .. can you help?

[AddictedtoCrunchies]

I Googled 'basic sponge' and 'buttercream icing' and had zillions of results. So, can someone give me a reasonably straightforward recipe for sponge (ie the little ones rather than a big one) and buttercream icing.

I'm interested in a plain version (ie light brown sponge and cream icing) and chocolate (both sponge and icing).

I don't have a foodmixer so have to do it all by hand. And I want to do some posh stuff on the top so any tips there would be appreciated too.

Thank you in anticipation..

You cant go wrong with a Classic Victoria Sponge.

You can use the same recipe for small fairy cakes - just reduce the baking time.

If you want to make it a chocolate cake then substitute 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour for cocoa powder

And dont forget the recipe section here too.

These will work with or without the orange juice and rind (can be made with lemon too). I'm just posting for the sponge recipe not the orange curd filling. I like this recipe because you don't need to cream butter and sugar first - you just whack it all in together and mix.

Butter icing: 50g butter, 100g sifted icing sugar mixed together until a smooth paste. Add a couple of tsp of cocoa powder for choc icing.

That's brilliant - thanks very much. They don't look too dofficult so I think I'll have a go.

Delia Online is a good starting point. And I really like Rachel Allen's 'Bake'.

Do invest in a handwisk for creaming the butter and sugar though. They are cheap, and a godsend.

I've just bought the book which goes with the Great British Bake Off, and love it, though I haven't got as far as cooking anything from it (it was half-price in Tesco's!).

Mary Berry's Foolproof cake book is great.

For a sponge, it's basically the same amount of sugar, butter and SR flour to half eggs. So 8oz butter creamed with 8oz flour. Mix in 4 eggs then fold in 8 oz flour. I cook this in two tins.

For a chocolate version, replace about an oz of the SR flour with cocoa.

Buttercream - to fill and top the 2 sponges layered together, I'd use about 8oz icing sugar, 4oz butter and a bit of hot water or coffee in hot water. Can do a lemon version using lemon juice instead of water. For a choc one, replace a bit of the icing sugar with cocoa and use hot water or coffee to loosen it a bit.

I would weigh the eggs and then use the same weight of flour and sugar, that way the size of the eggs is a little less important, if they are smaller then you have less of the other ingrediants to add too.

Jamie's Home Cooking Skills: Baking - start with biscuits, then go on to muffins, before doing a victoria sponge.

You need to get to know your oven. I have great trouble getting things to rise at work, as although I've been there 2 years, I've still not got to grips with the oven (I suspect the temp gauge is not very accurate).

Small Cakes - Chocolate Butterflies

2oz self-raising flour
1 dessert spoon cocoa
2oz butter
2oz caster sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tablespoon milk
a few drops of vanilla essence

Cream the butter until soft (so easier to work with the butter if it has reached room temperature). Add sugar beating until light and fluffy (this is easiest with an electric whisk - wooden spoon can be used but it may take a good 5 to 10 mins of beating... so until your arm hurts, and someone elses arm hurts as well!).
Add the egg with a tablespoon of flour... stir then beat.
Add the milk, vanilla and a little more flour... beat again.
Add the cocoa and the rest of the flour... beat again.

Half fill baking cases. Bake in a moderate oven (so about 180c/350F) - 15 to 20 minutes.

1.5oz butter
4oz icing sugar
2 teaspoons very hot milk
few drops of vanilla essence

Cream the butter until soft.
Add half of the sugar and beat thoroughly.
Add the milk, rest of the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Once cakes are cold, cut off a round off the top. Put a spoonful of filling onto each cake.

Cut the round in half and place on the filling (rounded edges outwards).

Wings Tip: Cut the round with a very sharp knife. Angle the halves to give appearance of wings.

Here's a foolproof recipe for a basic sponge:

1 cup butter (i used a 200ml teacup)
2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2-3 tbsp milk/boiling water

cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (i use a wooden spoon and flora marg), mix in eggs one at a time mixing well after each egg. Mix in the vanilla.
Sift in the flour and baking powder. Once fully mixed, add the milk or boiling water so that the mixture drops off a spoon.

Put into a greased and floured 8 inch tin (I have been using a square one) or some cake cases. If doing a big cake, cook for 35 mins or untill the skewer comes out clean when you stick it in the cake.

For icing: approx 3 oz butter to 6 oz icing sugar, a splash of milk and whatever flavouring you want (eg, vanilla, cocoa powder for choc, a coupla spoons of coffee (disolved), lemon rind, orange rind etc)

If you want a choc cake, measure out the flour and then take out two tbsps of flour, replace it with cocoa.