Can you help with Dalek Cake burning

[annoyednow]

Hi, I've tried a cake in the lakeland Dalek mould. I made a sponge with equal weight butter,sugar,egg and flour. I coated the mould with non stick and put in the oven for 70 mins at 170 C as recommended by lakeland.

Although the details were clear, it was burnt on the outside. Has anyone any suggestions how I can cook it without burning? It takes 8 eggs. I need to do it for a birthday. Would it cook without burning at 130C?

If anyone is up and can help me, I'm starting the cake now. As it's an eight egg cake and I'm putting equal weight butter (500g) do I really need cake release as there is so much fat in the cake?

Thanks Blackberry, but I'm doing it today. I shall ring them on Monday though.

I would adjust the cooking time. It won't cook properly unless it's at the right temperature.

Was it just burnt on the top?

Umm I would use it would be a shame not to get nice darlek shape, but agree it,makes things burn or crisp. Would go with,longer and slower cooking. Good luck.

I'd try a lower temperature - I had similar burning with a large mould (I brushed with melted butter instead). At the lower temperature it worked, had to cover the top though. Hth.

I've made a couple of these now and it has been tricky lol!
Yes you will need cake release, all the fiddly details just stay in the mould without (tried that and far too much was left behind)
I treated the last one like a Christmas cake and wrapped the outside with a couple of layers of grease proof paper and put a paper lid on top.
It wasn't a pale gold but it was well cooked on the outside as opposed to dark and bitter.
You need to turn them out fairly quickly too - about 10 minutes otherwise the steam builds up and then the soggy details don't pop out.
Tricky but worth it! Are you going to ice it, I've not plucked up the courage yet, mine have all had a traditional cake treatment and stuck candles in where the laser usually comes out

If you reduce the temp by 10-15 degrees and wrap the outside of the tin in a few layers of news/greaseproof paper it should help the burning issue.

I would cut the mould in half using a Stanley knife (so you would then have a front and a back), meaning each half would be a four egg sponge. I would have a slightly lower temperature than for a 2/3 egg cake and sandwich the two together.

Too drastic perhaps? Good luck anyway. Let us know how it goes!

Can't help at all, but was completely drawn in by the thread title. I had images of daleks exterminating elaborate cakes with flamethrowers. Or something

Thanks so much. Yes it's the underside with small pools of batter in the detail bits that are burning. I have been very tempted to do what you suggest itried. Shallow bit cannot need same cooking as really deep bit. Think it should have been made in two parts.

I'll reduce by 15 (tempted 20) degrees and wrap outside mould in parchment.

The recipe on lakeland site says replace 200g of the flour with cocoa powder if making chocolate flavour. As this would only leave 300g self raising flour, does this sound wrong?

Just protect it by popping inside a larger tin or wrapping in strips of folded newspaper around sides, or foil...all ovens cook differently so yes to adjusting temp a little. Good luck.

It's in the oven at roughly 140/145 deg. C. It's in a tray lined with thick newspaper (hope this doesn't go on fire). I'm popping parchment paper on top in 20 mins. I'm not going to do it for the 79/80 mins recommended on lakeland website. Am thinking 50 mins, but will check with cocktail stick.

I used 375g self raising flour to 125g cocoa powder. Added in teaspoon baking powder to this.

Fingers crossed. Waitrose is nearby!

Antennae at front (in very shallow ridges) look like overdone already. Middle is still molten. Have put parchment paper over front bit. Have put down to 120 degrees now.

Oh dear. It's still like slightly wobbly mousse in the middle. It's been in the oven for around 70 mins now. I'll leave it for another 10/15 mins. Hope it's not like an old boot.

make a jelly in it instead

Ok, think I'll have to buy a cake. The middle is still wobbly but the outside area is crispy. Not burnt though. Will the middle firm up at 120 C without burning the outside? I'll have to break off the antennae as they are so crisp.

If you are a really good icer you can make a fab dalek cake with 2 swiss rolls and various sweets. It's a Blue Peter special. I did one from YouTube a couple of years ago. It was easier than I thought! I have never seen a dalek ready made im the shops but with all the 50th anniversary stuff they may have them now

Actually you don't even need to be a good icer.its just butter creamed!

Yeah, we'll have to have a lot of giant Dalek jellies to justify the cost of the bloomin' mould.

Am not in love with lakeland at the mo. I'll do that blue peter one fancy, I'm off to the shops for the stuff. Thanks. I should be able to do that cake in around 40 minutes, shouldn't I? The mould one will be in the oven for 2 hrs soon. It is so wobbly in the middle still. The outside of it in the mould is crispy and will burn if I put up the temperature. It is kind of friable even now.

Yes 40 minutes easy! It's quite fun sticking all the chocolates and sweets on it too! I hope I don't have similar problems with the doctor who biscuit cutters I bought from Lakeland. Good luck!