Why don't my cakes rise? WHY?!

[PrincessChick]

Just that really. I made a batch of muffins this evening, a Victoria sponge and a carrot cake a couple of weeks ago... All edible but a bit dense and brick like. I'm really dissappointed by the muffins.

Where am I going wrong?

I always follow the recipe, I use a kitchenaid with the beating attachment, I carefully fold in the flour with a wooden or metal spoon, i just don't understand?!

I'd love some tips!

I use value SR flour (or branded if it's on offer) as I've tried all kinds and they all work fine for me.

I was always a bit of SIL's fluffy cakes and she uses a teaspoon of baking powder, so now I do too and my friend says my cakes are the best she's tasted [smug]

I use my mum's old recipe weighed in ounces -
6oz SR flour + 1tsp baking powder
6oz marg (don't use butter for baking as I find marg makes cakes lighter) 6oz sugar (granulated works fine, no need for castor/caster? sugar)
3 eggs.

I also add the smallest splash of milk to help it all blend together.

I just use an all in one method (plonk it all in a bowl and whizz until it's mixed). I used to use the old creaming method and carefully fold in flour, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Bake in 2x 8 inch tins, greased and floured, at 160c for about 25 mins.

I use a hand whisk (electric) as I haven't got a posh kitchen aid thingy (poor old me).

As said above, heat oven first and avoid opening it during the baking if poss. With a kitchen aid, I find the whisk attachment best for sponge mix though it can be a bit more messy you can also try adding an extra egg which helps to give cakes a bit more "height"

Delia always says that you should use large eggs, not medium.

I sometimes switch oven off when finished but leave cake in with door open (wall oven).

I mean after cake has been in for correct time and is ready.

I used to have this problem and I was complaining to a friend about about it. Her DM looked at me knowingly and said 'always add an extra egg'.

I do, and my baking has been revolutionised! I have absolutely no understanding as to why it works.

Thanks to an incredibly bad night with dd on Thursday I didn't get my chance to bake on Friday and it's been a busy old weekend. So I'm looking forward to making a nice fluffy, tall cake tomorrow :) Thanks for all of these tips, I'm one seeing some of the errors of my way. Wrong flour, wrong size eggs, possibly wrong temp oven, too much beating, too little rising agent... I knew the ladies of MN would see me right

Marking place to come back to

I find margarine makes a lighter cake than butter as well.
Its the only think I have marge in the house for - cake making.
Are you using butter or marge?

Same here addicted
I did a blind taste test on my family with some plain fairy buns - half made with Stork and half with butter. They tasted the same, but the butter ones were browner and slightly heavier than the Stork ones. Everyone preferred the ones made with Stork.

Even Mary Berry prefers using Stork. Also, block Stork is dairy free.

SR flour doesn't exist in Germany (where I am) so we only use plain flour and add baking powder, never had any problems with cakes not rising.
Also only ever use my Kenwood for beating and have never folded flour into anything with a wooden, metal etc spoon. Sometimes use room temp eggs but usually will have forgotten to take them out so fridge-cold eggs it is. Also butter - if it's too cold and hard, I just beat it longer.

So basically I'm saying I'm absolutely no help to the OP whatsoever :o
I do fancy some cake now though....

Make sure your baking power hasn’t gone off as they don’t have a long shelf life once opened and this tends to be the reason.

First off, don't over-mix your batter after you've added the whipped egg whites as you'll take all of the air out of the batter, and my mother taught me to leave the cake in the oven with the door slightly opened and the temperature turned off after it was done baking, so that the drastic temperature change wouldn't cause it to drop.

Ho cam someone helpe with quantities of mixture for a 6 inch and 8 inch christening cake, I've rented the tins so there the quite deep ones and I've got till Monday to make my cake I too struggle with rising and am nor sure if I'm putting enough mixture in the tin, I'm just after the best recipe for a.moist but strong cake as its got to support a top tier, please any advice greatly received

You DO need to beat the butter/stork and sugar really well and keep scraping the bowl down to get it all. Use the k beater not balloon whisk. Beat it until it changes colour and lightens. You are beating the air into the mixture at this stage. 5 mins at medium high speed is not unreasonable but then add in eggs and flour at speed 1. Pour the beaten eggs in slowly with a little flour, then once all the eggs are in, pour the remaining flour in and mix with a metal spoon. Once combined, scrape down the sides, up the speed to half way and count to 20. Turn off the machine. It's ready now....

White Lucy for a 6 inch mix pour the batter for a 7 inch into 2 tins. For an 8 inch pour in the batter for a 9 inch. An inch is 420g for tub stork, eggs and Sr. flour and 470 for sugar. 6 ml vanilla extract. Like I said above beat the shit out of the stork and sugar first, everything else....do it slow until a last, quick fast blast to get lumps out.

6 inch is 240 for everything except sugar which is 270g.

Go with my quantities above and your cakes will be between 3.5 and 4 inches in height.

Thanks so much making today son hopefully will turn out ok, is it best to use caster suger or these new fan dangled cooking sugars, and also what about baking powder do I need to add that in to ?? 😱

Yes to caster sugar no to baking powder unless you are using basics brand self raising flour eg. The pantry from Aldi or similar. Use Macdougalls or even the more expensive own brand from tesco & you won't need it.

It really is important to beat the crap out of the sugar and fat. This puts in the air. The mix should turn from a yellowy colour to almost white or at least much lighter and fluffy. Then pour in beaten and weighed eggs, with a few spoons of flour. Add the egg slowly. Again vv important to turn machine down to slowest speed whilst you do this. Add a little flour in with the egg....and follow the instructions in my previous post. I bake at 155 degrees ....so lower than most recipes will advise. You will get a flatter top. It is ready when it springs back to the touch and the skewer comes out clean.

Yes to caster sugar no to baking powder unless you are using basics brand self raising flour eg. The pantry from Aldi or similar. Use Macdougalls or even the more expensive own brand from tesco & you won't need it.

It really is important to beat the crap out of the sugar and fat. This puts in the air. The mix should turn from a yellowy colour to almost white or at least much lighter and fluffy. Then pour in beaten and weighed eggs, with a few spoons of flour. Add the egg slowly. Again vv important to turn machine down to slowest speed whilst you do this. Add a little flour in with the egg....and follow the instructions in my previous post. I bake at 155 degrees ....so lower than most recipes will advise. You will get a flatter top. It is ready when it springs back to the touch and the skewer comes out clean.

Cooked last night,followed your recipe, and my cakes are perfect, they went a little higher than the tin so I just trimmed the excess off to taste, thank you so much never new I could bake a cake like that 😁

Some great tips - will defo be swapping out butter for Stork

I don't have mechanical mixers, and use a balloon whisk or a fork - do you guys think it would be worth buying some sort of electric whisk/mixer?

My son has experimented with ingredients a bit,and finds that caster sugar definitely improves the rise.

Definitely self raising flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. Sponge doesn't really rise well with plain flour although I always use plain for Yorkshire puddings and they turn out huge.

You might be using too much raising agent so it rises then falls.

I rarely have SR flour in so end up using plain and add BP with no problems. I probably use 1tsp ( a proper teaspoon bit one you stir your tea with!) per 8oz of flour.

If you use a stand mixer, leave the sugar and fast to cream for ages, it should turn white.

Then when you add the eggs add a tablespoon alternately with the flour. I never fold in using a metal spoon I just turn the mixer down low.

Good luck!