I am rubbish at baking cakes

[EauRouge]

Normal sponge cake, I mean. I can do madeira but when I attempt sponge cakes they always sink and seem quite greasy. I'm using the Mary Berry recipe and I've tried butter, Stork and a mixture of both. Any ideas? Shall I just give up and stick to biscuits?

How do u make them? Hand mixer? By hand? Maybe rhey are not stirred enough.

I use a classic 6 stork, 6 self-raising flour, 6 sugar, 3 eggs and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon baking powder. All goes in one tin to bake at 180 in fan oven.

Classic cause of sinking is opening door to check if done before it is.
Strangely I find silicon cake 'tins' can make things more greasy?

I weigh the eggs, then add equal weights of self raising flour, sugar and butter or stork (I prefer stork). Whizz it in mixer, put into two tins and oven for about 18 mins on 180 degrees that's in my fan electric oven, and about 6-8oz of everything.

If I need a taller cake I use around 10oz of everything, bake in the same tins for about 19-20 mins on 170 degrees.

Any help?

I know you have to be careful not to over beat the mixture, if you get too much air in it the cake collapses on itself when it's in the oven.

I mix by hand and I don't open the door before it's done. It usually rises up nicely and then collapses before I take it out :( I haven't got an oven thermometer, I wonder if my oven is too hot or too cold? It's a gas oven and I usually do cakes at 4. Am using paper cases.

iseenodust, yes, that's pretty much the same recipe.

Thanks for all your tips :)

Too much baking powder- no need to add extra if you're using sr flour. And your oven may be too hot as well.

I have used an "all in one" method for years: (Delia Smith)
8 sr flour
8 caster sugar
8 butter
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

divide between 2 tins and cook for as long as needed (I have an aga)

As another poster says - silicone can make it more greasy. I have now gone back to traditional tins.

Alternatively have you tried a whisked fatless sponge? - that will not be greasy.

I don't have a recipie to hand but I know Delia has one

Thanks, will try without baking powder too. This will give me an excuse to bake lots of cakes

www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Ro-Home-Recipes-Scones-Puddings/dp/B00133LZ66

You need this book! I inherited an old 1940s version (Baking days would be dull days for little Marjory without Be-do!). The recipes are from rationing so use little butter or eggs, which makes they quite light and not greasy at all.

Ok so they use lard and advice you to check the coal in your over, but this is the book I use when making cakes (and have been using it since I was about four) and people always ask for the recipes and say how nice and light the cakes turn out.

I'm rubbish too. My recipe for the perfect home made cake involves visiting church fetes.... which are always cheaper than making your own.

The proportions above from Sonnet and Iseenodust are for a classic Victoria sponge cake. If you are looking up recipes then I thought you should know what this one is so you don't confuse. It always seems to work fine for me with either butter or stork and I have made them bigger and smaller and in square tins with paper round the outside to make really large square ones too.
I too use traditional metal tins.

How big are your cake tins? Mine are 7 inch tins so I use 6 oz of SR flour, 6 oz of marg (we are dairy-free so I use Vitalite, but otherwise I might use Stork in a tub), 6 oz of caster sugar, 3 eggs and 1 teasp of baking powder.

I grease and baseline the tins. Then I put everyting in the bowl, mix it in a bit to stop it flying all over the kitchen, before whisking it with my hand whisk wand-thing (about 2 mins, but until it looks well-blended and slightly bubbly, really). Then I cook it. M oven seems to have it's own temperaure thing going on so I keep going back to check them.

Anyway, it works a treat.

5oz sugar and butter/marg
8oz sr flour
3 eggs
Lemon essence/lemon rind for decoration

7" tin, 180/350/gas mark 4

I used this recipe for the first time last week for dd's birthday cake. My cakes were always to greasy also. I was talking to my 85 year old granny who told me to use a 1/4 less flour and replace it with corn flour.

Oh the cake was so light and not greasy at all. I have used it in all cakes since. The difference is amazing.

As for the cake sinking have you tried turning off the oven and opening the door slightly then leaving in until it's cool enough to lift out with your hand. Also don't remove it from the tin until completely cooled.

oops sorry link to the cake www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1997/classic-victoria-sandwich

Just blame your oven like I do!

I'll give the corn flour a go too, thank you, chocolateandcoffee's granny

Right, plenty of baking to do this week and if all else fails then it's definitely my oven's fault. It can't do toad in the hole either.

Toad in the hole -

Place sausages in tin, let them cook a bit and the fat come out. Place tin on hot hob plate, pour in mixture, put back in oven. Works a treat as it doesn't have time to get cold. Obviously use a dish that won't crack on the hob!

That's a delia trick in fact.