Brown paper for baking cakes - dull but important question!!!

[donnie]

can anyone enlighten me as to whether or not baking parchment and brown paper are the same thing ? I am getting very confused as my xmas cake recipe calls for brown paper and greaseproof paper but I can only find greaseproof and baking parchment in the supermarket . Any master bakers out there thanks in advance!

as long as you don't use brown packing paper I'm pretty sure they are the same thing!

Instead of greaseproof paper I keep my butter wrappers and use those!

Don't rely on just me though! auntymandy seems to know the answer to this sort of thing!

thanks lucycat! lol at a vision of me trying to wedge post office brown parcel paper in to my cake tin!

I'm sure it's been done

donnie, actually you are looking at the Nigella thing aren't you? Then yep brown packing paper IS what she suggests, basically it is simply to create a higher surround around the tin. I have done it with brown paper, but I usually use greaseproof as it is cheaper, or babking parchemnet that you can then reuse (don't waste it it is too expensive and it isn't even touching the cake)

BTW it is SUCH a pain inthe neck trying to do this, I tend to fold BP in half widthways, so the curve is taken out of it, I then slot one peice inside the other, so it kinda holds together IYKWIM Once you have done it once, it gets easier, or get DH to hold the paper while you start pouring in the cake, the cake mixture holds it in place anyway

I would imagine you use baking parchment or greaseproof to cook it and brown paper to wrap it to store?

Right well I think it does actually mean parcel paper - thats what I use. Its because the cake cooks so slowly you have to make sure that the surfaces don't scorch. So I use a round tin (loose bottomed) and double line with the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper which I also grease with butter.

Then I wrap brown paper around the outside of the tin. Actually I have a piece that is staple together that I just slip over every year. And then I have a square that I just sit on top of the tube. Actually think brown paper (and I have a double layer) is easier to use for this than greaseproof because it is stiffer. And I put the cake mix in the tin before I put the brown paper on. My Mum always did this when I was a kid.

this is REALLY helpful folks - thanks so much ! it is the nigella recipe crunchie - but when I made the delia cake last year I thibk that required lots of fiddling about with papers - what a hassle! perhaps I should just buy one.....!

NO DON@T BUY ONE, They don't taste as nice, Bozza's idea sounds perfect, That is brilliant, a tube stapled and ready to use OUTSIDE the tin. Ta bozza

I'm sure my mum used newspaper(outside the tins) this year when she made ours. They always come out fine.

Ok Donnie, see I told you not to listen to me! I don't even like fruit cake! we cheat and have sponge, maybe this year it will be marslady's lemon drizzle cake

Well its my Mum really Crunchie. And she is well known for making a good fruitcake. Not just Christmas cakes but 3 tier wedding cakes for two of her daughters plus 3 christening cakes for her grandchildren, plus various ruby/golden/diamond wedding cakes for her parents/in-laws.

I lined the tin with Ikea brown wrapping paper (was all I had) and lined that with baking parchment. It seemed to work.

My concern was that Nigella recommends wrapping cake in foil to store. I have done this but wondered a bit if it would be OK. I seem to remember wrapping Delia's a few years ago in greasproof and then foil.

Any ideas?

I don't like fruit cake either lucycat! why do we put ourselved through the trauma of these complicated recipes!!!!
might try newspaper though.

don't think newspaper will taste any better than one of my fruit cakes........

now I have just made some white choc chip cookies that ARE gorgeous!

yes brown paper is what Delia and Nigella mean. It's to stop the cake from burning.
I used a large brown envelope I had lyign around, cut in half along the length and folded over, tied with string it was just right.
In fact do what Bozza says, she knows...
You also need to line the tin with baking parchment or (better) everlasting lining paper cut to size, what a wonderful thing that is!

The lining the tin is to prevent the cake sticking to the tin. The brown paper is to prevent the cake edges scorching.

Actually with 4 yo DS and 1yo DD helping me I dread to think how this year's cake will be. DD kept turning the electronic scales off while I was weighing the fruit and then helping herself. Then I got DS to pour the brandy on and you should have seen her screwed up little face when she popped the next raisin in. Then the week later when we actually mixed the cake she had a right paddy when I put it in the oven - seemed to think I was going to let her stand on a chair and eat an entire raw Christmas cake.