Cake baking in an AGA - HELP!!!

[Pennies]

Have got a 4 oven AGA and I need to bake two cakes (1 x 2 litre and 1 x 0.5 litre) for a duck shaped cake for DD2's 1st birthday this weekend. I am using a maderia cake recipe. The recipe says to cook the cakes for an hour at 160 C in a convenetional oven.

My questions are...

1. Which oven do I use and whereabouts in that oven?

2. Surely the 0.5 litre cake won't take an hour?

3. Is it OK to open the doors midway through and do the skewer test?

4. (Not aga related) - Will the cake still be fresh for Saturday if I make it tonight? If not how best to keep it fresh bearing in mind I dont have a tin big enough for the 2 litre cake.

snap megalegs

20 lbs is fine, I've done it before (not much different size-wise to 18, strangely enough)

25lbs, well, that's just a MONSTER

not including under 2s

get a smaller turkey, half a ham, and lots of chipolatas wrapped in bacon.

you'll have masses left over, I promise

and cold ham on boxing day with lots of mashed potatoes is DELICIOUS

ooooh oooooh and you have to have cold ham, mashed potatoes AND BROAD BEANS IN PARSLEY SAUCE

oh I'm going to faint with hunger, that may well be my ideal post-xmas lunch

nope. getting one apple glazed ham from my fabulous local butcher who revels in the name of Keith Crump (I kid you not).

Simply required bunging on a platter and giving some bloke the job of carving it

Ours is for 17, 12 on the day and the rest for boxing day.

sorry the nope was in relation to cooking the ham, not in relation to you scoffing my broad beans. which you are welcome to do any time, naturally

yup.
well not cold cold, you leave it out so it is more room temp.

I promise you it is fantastic. really good with bread sauce and cranberry etc etc. people have a slice of each of turkey and of ham and then go back for seconds.

and you can make turkey and ham pie with leftovers which is much better than crappy old turkey fricassee or whatever

look like this!

I'm so impressed. Before he even saw the pretty picture, too!

Give him a snog from me

now now, I don't think you've made it up to 60 yet, have you? get on with it

did I tell you that dh is now on antibiotics for... ahem.... infected wounds

oh sorry! that sounds a bit better...

he has one infected bollock poor man. I don't think he was "done" very well. yesterday was his first pain-free day (2 weeks after the op)...

Well I've checked and there's definitely no cooling tray. Can I jsut go for it the baking oven then?

Can't believe that you're also giving us the low down on your butcher's bollock!! PMSL!!

Doh - misread - it's your DH. I'll get me coat.

ROFL . I popped up to say good night to the boys and have returned only to find this rather refined thread has gone completely to pot

hahahahahahahaha pennies

I think you'll find the official word for a butcher's bollock is his sweetbread

don't apologise, our fault for comprehensively derailing your thread! go for it without the cold plain shelf, just keep an eye on it (and turn it at least once)

good luck!

megalegs - quick - ham, yes or no?

next question - vasectomy, yes or no?

Ham? What? Did I miss a question about ham. I'm doing mine in marmalade again but I usually cook it Christmas eve.