Cupcake recipe - I use Victoria sponge but coming out leaden!

[fossil971]

Normally when I make cupcakes I use a Victoria sponge recipe with SR flour and block butter. I make the batter in a food processor, I don't have a mixer. The last batch I noticed were a bit "solid" - I had to bake them the previous day.

Any suggestions for a lighter recipe or technique, I have 2 dozen to make for PIL's party tomorrow and don't want to sink people. Just plain vanilla or chocolate flavour, I'm not doing any fancy flavour.

TVM

Try adding more sugar, whisking the eggs and sugar for longer and perhaps melting the butter before you add it in with the flour (make sure it's not piping hot when you add it though).
Hope they turn out yummy.

Thanks mogz.

Hang on, I thought I whisked the butter and sugar first, then dollop in the eggs (normally followed by curdling then flour last? Is there a Better Way?

I try to bring the butter to room temp, and the eggs, before I start.

I also texted a friend and she suggests whisking for much longer - 10-15 minutes. I had been doing about 60 secs . Also cooking a bit lower and slower.

You can do butter and sugary then add eggs or eggs and sugar then add butter. I think the key really is to whisk for a loooong time like your friend suggested. Do it until your arm really aches and then as long again!

I mean 60 secs in the food processor not hand beating btw. I will try all this out this evening - thanks

You need to mix the butter and sugar until it goes really pale then when you add the flour hardly mix it, just enough to combine -you get better results if you mix the flour in by hand using a metal spoon

Important to ensure your SR flour is fresh as the raising agent can fail. This also applies to Baking powders.

Cream butter and sugar until very very pale. Whisk eggs until foamy. I weigh my eggs then use equal weights of butter/sugar and flour for one sponge but this might not be so useful for larger quantities. I never use a processor so cannot comment on that method.

Don't beat the mixture as you add flour. Fold in with a metal spoon.

Report back. Hot evening friday so the butter was quite soft. One batch processed so much in the food processor it went to liquid and I abandoned it. Next batch started off by hand and then I remembered I had a very old hand mixer in the cupboard and finished it off with that: that and the next one came out much better. I did whisk the eggs first and fold in flour carefully.

The cakes definitely came out softer lighter and finer in the crumb so big thanks all round I have learnt something new this weekend!

Wonderful, cake baking is an essential skill IMO, if only for those days when you fancy cake and can't be bothered to leave the house!

Mary Berry says cake batter can be overmixed so I never do it with the stand mixer and always mix just long enough for the ingredients to be combined and that's it. Have I been doing it wrong?

I always do butter and sugar first, then one egg and a portion of the flour, and do that until all eggs and flour is in. It seems to work for me.

Gwendoline I guess the test of whether you are doing something right is whether your cakes come out how you like them .

Wow this is all very techy, I just do the all in one bung it in together method and my cakes are lovely. I do think oven temperature has a big effect on the rise though, a too cool oven can make cakes a bit leaden.

I bung it all in together, and use half and half butter and margarine.
When I use butter the whole thing sinks.

Make sure your oven is on the hot side.

Oh, Xposts moomin, snap!

We peeps do vary dont we? I prefer the creaming method as the all in one for me makes my cakes heavier, but each to their own and thats just my opinion. When i make a simple 8inch sponge i always put on gas 4 for 28 mins or 18-20 for cupcakes( my cupcakes are big) for bigger cakes say 9,10,12 i cook for much loger cos they're in a bigger tin and lower temp to 2-3. Hope thats helpful.