cake! need to learn to make a cake

[Cappuccino]

I make great muffins but crap cakes. They are hard and flat.

My mother said she would make dd's birthday cake last week since I had a cold and didn't like making cakes.

Cake was not brilliant. It was kind, but not brilliant at all. Surely I can do better than that.

so I need a nice idiot's cake recipe please. Dh says that his mother used to have one and just add cocoa to make it chocolate for a change.

Please help me. My dd's deserve better than endless batches of muffins with candles precariously wobbling on top

mars' lemon drizzle cake
piece of, erm, cake to make
and gorgeous!

my first few efforts were pretty hard. But then i changed from butter to Stork margerine and they magically became light and airy. Butter is def better but i think you need to have the technique right before you can master baking with butter.

This will work every time Cappuchino. The cake bit anyway. I have never done her filling just put some jam in or butter icing which is butter/clover and add icing sugar and mix until you think it looks/tastes good enough to put in cake

Oh and you can just shove it all in the bowl, no need for folding and faffing.

Ummmmmmm link would help Eh?

here

I have been on here all day and am tired.

How big a cake?

Here's my foolproof cake. It fills a large roasting tin so you can reduce the ingredients to make it smaller.... or put some in the cake tin and make lemon fairy cakes with the rest.

12oz s/r flour
9oz sugar
9oz butter/marg
3tsp baking powder
6tbsp milk
4 eggs
zest of 2 lemons

Mix it all together, pop in large roasting tin in oven.. about 180ish for 30-35 mins (but check it cos different ovens cook at different speeds). When it comes out of the oven prick with a fork.

Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons. Heat in microwave for about 20secs. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons over the warm cake. Mix the rest with icing sugar to taste (or... and you're the first I've told) mix granulated sugar with the cold lemon juice and pour that over the cake for a crunchie topping!

Crunchie topping!

basic cake recipe

6oz sugar
6oz butter
6oz s/r flour
3 eggs

mix butter and sugar, then and eggs and flour. pour into cake tins and bake, you can size this down to 2oz and 1 egg to make fairy cakes, and again you can add cocoa or coconut or mixed fruit and spice for variations

The more sugar you add the more crunchie!

You can omit the lemon and pop 3-4 tbs of cocoa powder to make a choccie cake. Melt a large bar of chocolate add a dollop of oil and pour over cake! Leave to set.

mars I tried swapping the lemon for chocolate and it came out really dry, not sure where I went wrong.

6 oz each butter/marg (I use Pure soya spread) and caster sugar, cream them together, beat in 3 eggs, sieve in 6oz self raising flour, add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder if you like, or a few drops of vanilla essence, divide into 2 sandwich tins (line with foil and grease if worried about getting cake out in one piece!), cook in medium-hot oven (190 deg) for about 25 mins, it's ready when you prod it and it springs back, or put a knife in and it comes out clean. Filling: jam, butter cream (marg/butter and icing sugar), Nutella....

Easy peasy, my 10 year old can make this with no help.

add some melted chocolate. Um.... extra milk perhaps. It needs to go into an air tight container rather quickly.

MarsLady - was coming on here to recommend this and I have realised that I haven't thanked you yet.
I am still absolutely beaming from my triumph when MIL came for tea and I tried your legendary LDC. It was just AWESOME. so THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Quick question : for the drizzly icing, was I meant to sieve the icing sugar?

Only if you could be arsed! I never can! lol

Oh sorry.......

You're welcome!

I saw you on the no carbs thread SS and it was all I could do to not post offering you a slice. lol

Oh WOW!
Just came on for a look

Crunchie topping!!

Can't wait! But haven't got the things I need. Roll on tommorrow!

On Recipes, I use the 6,6,6,to 3 (Self raising flour, Marg, Caster sugar and eggs)formula, works every time or 8,8,8 to 4 for a bigger one. As a child I used to throw it all into a food processor and press go. What could be simpler? It was my pressie to everyone, here I made you a cake aren't I clever!!

I have a real easy fruit cake too if you want it? Just one pan and a bowl required.
Let me know.

'roasting tin'?

how bloody big is this cake then?

jools.... where've you been?

whaddayer mean
where'vabeen?

Mars my lovely how BIG is this bloomin' cake?

I thought I might give it a go but there are only two of us

jools u make it and we will all pop over for a slice

freezes brill
wrap slices indicually in cling film first