Quick! Making carrot cake, can I "pause" the process?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm in the middle of making carrot cake, as a trial run for a cake I need to make next week. I've done this recipe a few times before, it's fine, but not with my new oven.

But I want to go out in an hour or so. I can't leave the cake in the oven (not sure the oven turns off on a timer, also not sure how long cake will take).

Can I make up the dough and fridge it for a few hours? It's quite a wet cake, not bready at all.

I don't think so. Does it have stuff like bicarb 7 baking poweder etc because if you add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, the reaction that makes th bubbles starts and will be done by the time you get back. May not rise properly when baked.

You can mix everything else up, leave it and then add the flour/baking poweder/bicarb mixture I would imagine.

Ah, good to know. I saw your message earlier, when I'd decided to not go out, but to cook several versions of the cake separately, to see what worked best. And had put two of them in the fridge to wait.

Looks like they came out well, anyway, except they stuck to the bottom of the pan. I'll have to use baking parchment for the real version, I guess. Blah.

(I'm embarassed that I didn't realise that's how bicarb etc works! I should read my McGee some more, I think.)

(Oh, meant to say, I rescued the ones from the fridge, when I saw your message, and put them on right away.)

snigger

I only know because that's what it says in the Muffins Fast and Fantastic cook book.

And LOL at you deciding "to cook several versions of the cake" How many do you have to eat now?

I have three loaf-sized cakes. Should go away fast, and my SIL is coming today and will hopefully take one or two away.

Yeah, yeah...

Ha, everyone got into them before tea. SIL will certainly leave with one of them. And a lot will go in DS1's lunch next week.

I almost wish I wanted to eat loads of cake, but my appetite is all broken atm. I am eating loads and loads of salads, but not that much else.

Ah, BIL and SIL ate a fair bit of it while they were here, and happily took the most intact one with them. So we'll be fine.