What went wrong?

[Rhubarbgarden]

Why is my chocolate cake all solid and dense inside?

Why can't I bake? Why? Why?

it looks like it's not cooked through?

try this recipe tis very easy and delicious

stick a thin sharp knife in the middle when you think it's cooked and if it comes out clean it is cooked. It will be gungey if it needs more time

Thanks Furball I'll try that recipe next time. This recipe was in a child's cookbook - you'd think it'd be foolproof...

I wondered about it not being properly cooked. But the top was going black, and I did stick a knife in; it came out clean but slightly greasy. Maybe it shouldn't even be greasy?

Looking at the cake I'd of thought it would of come out more than greasy.

Sometimes it takes a piece of grease proof paper on the top to stop it catching.

Did it taste alright?

I think it tastes dreadful but DH is working his way through it quite happily. I'll try grease proof on top next time, thanks for that.

Is your oven temperature too high?

I wondered about that. Things always seem to cook more quickly than they are supposed to. Maybe I should knock a few degrees off the temp the recipes say?

Every oven is different. I've been baking for 40 years- and when I buy a new cooker, I make a standard sponge and see what happens. I haven't had one yet that does it exactly to the recipe. Usually its too high. Also- if you have a fan oven, check what temperature it says on the recipe- its often just a temp/ gas mark . If it does't say fan , and you are using a fan oven , it will be about 20 degrees too high. Does that make sense? -

What kind of rising agent did you use?

Too much raising agent?
Or too little?
Same result in the end.

Tin size? Too small and it won't bake.

Erm... What's raising agent? Baking powder? I put in everything the recipe said to, in the correct quantities.

I blame your oven. I have always been okay at baking but in one house everything just was awful, never cooked properly and tasted like shite. Moved and hey presto back to being a good baker again

Hmm. Right. At the weekend I shall try making a couple of experimental standard sponges, one at the recipe temp, one 20 degrees less.

Now I just need a standard sponge recipe...

Thanks for all the advice, by the way!

Here you go!
btw - I just use ordinary caster sugar, but do sieve your flour and hold the sieve a bit above the bowl so it gets lots of air as it falls into the bowl

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/classic-sponge-cake.html

Good Luck!

Oh- that oven temp is non- fan! so 170 for non fan /150 fan

Great, thank you. I will update!

It says spreadable butter I notice- don't use 'light' stuff - :)

You could try an oven thermometer. We had a rubbish old oven once, so I bought a thermometer to check - the temperature was way out.

And if it's non fan, don't cook near the top of the oven!

Spreadable butter gives me the horrors. Would normal butter work?

You can but thermometers just for ovens? Wow. That is a whole new level. I am very much a beginner and have been forced into baking by school cake sales and birthdays

Raising agent can be baking powder or baking soda.

Too much and the cake raises too far and too quickly and collapses later.
Too little and it stays flat.

Same with yeast, or overbeating egg whites.

That's interesting. It rose quite high and cracked - which is the same thing that happened last time I made a cake. That was for ds's birthday so that time I just sliced off the top and fed it to a bunch of two year olds - not a discerning audience fortunately, and I don't think any of them were ill.

I think,( without seeing it ) that your oven is too hot- it will have whooshed the cake up and set the top too quickly , so when it kept cooking ,the top cracked- was it a bit too brown on top , and maybe a bit sad inside and didn't take the time stated? If so, next time turn down oven by 10 degrees and see- and do that each time until it takes the right amount of time to cook. You can always eat sponge- even if you just dollop custard on top! Btw- a bit of cracking doesn't hurt :)

Right, so I did an experimental Victoria sponge this afternoon. I put the (fan) oven down to 150 as instructed above, and bob's your uncle. No cracking, no undercooked middle. So I think we can conclude that the oven was indeed too hot, and I just need to cook things on a lower temp.

Thank you Mumsnet!