Baking - recipe followed to the letter, what am I doing wrong?

[mummoi]

Hi everyone. I'm really at the end of my tether with this one so any advice would be really helpful. I baked a very simple victoria sponge yesterday with my kids. We followed the recipe completely. When the timer sounded I looked into the oven it had risen beautifully and was a lovely brown colour. Took it out, pierced it with a skewer and it came out clean. Left it to cool in the tin, looked 5 mins later and it was flat as a pancake. Cut into it later and it just looked solid & uncooked, and tasted horrible. Same happened last week with an easy bake chocolate cake recipe we tried - both from BBC recipes website. Help please, what am I doing so very wrong???

I suspect the oven.

If it was the oven I don't think a skewer would come out clean.

I think it was probably a combination of all of the above I'll never be Mary Berry, thats for sure I'll try to attach a photo. It seemed fine when I took it out but them seemed to collapse! We'll just have to keep trying. Thanks all xx

Its not cooked, the dark bits are improperly cooked mix.

www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2014/07/15/how-to-prevent-dense-gluey-streaks-in-your-cake

What speed did you beat the mix on. That is the danger of an all in one doing to high a speed overworks the flour. The recipe doesnt specific speed

Definitely not cooked through - it needs to come away from the edges a bit, spring back when you touch it on top and if you pierce it in the centre with a skewer or sharp knife they should come out clean. Lots of ovens vary so the times in the recipe are really just a guide - have another go when you've got the ingredients - it's such a great thing to be able to do and it looks like you've got the basics right already.

Don't use a food processor it cuts the mixture rather than beating it. By hand would be better then a food processor.

I never use baking powder in a sponge cake - just SR flour?

That's def undercooked OP. Did you preheat oven first?

Try making it by hand next time. It's a good arm workout.

My recipe is what my mum taught me

4oz sugar
4oz marg

beaten until combined and pale

4 eggs- adding one at a time and beating well into the mix.

Sift 4oz SR flour and fold to combine.

Nothing else - and mine are generally good.

That's a lot more egg than I'd put I any cake I cook, Ducking.
Id normally put 4oz of egg in a cake that size, which is 2 eggs. Someone further up did a similar proportion tho. I've just started weighing eggs, as ours are currently large, and putting in less egg than normal. I prefer the results! Not sure if I'm brave enough to open my only bag of flour to try twice my normal egg amount!

Yes @KittenVsBox , my Mum taught me the same -4oz sugar:4oz butter/stork:4oz SR Flour : 2 eggs
.
For a bigger cake, ratio was :6/6/6/3 eggs.

No baking powder ever.
That photo shows an uncooked cake, preheat the oven next time about gas mark 6/200'C and don't open the oven door before 20 mins. Might need a bit longer. Put it on the oven middle shelf.
I always use an electric whisk, cream the sugar and fat, add eggs and lastly the flour. Good luck

did you pierce the centre as well

I use that same ratio but I do it all in one and I do use baking powder. If you do the creaming first and add the eggs later, the traditional way, you don’t need the baking powder.

Definitely undercooked.

The Mary Berry easy one is foolproof

Kitten Sorry - It is only 2 eggs not 4. I was getting carried away with the number 4.

Fancying a cake today now

In the days of Mrs Beeton you would put 2 eggs on the scales and weigh out the same amount of flour, butter and sugar.

Why would baking powder be an issue - I thought that helped with the rise

You only need to add baking powder to plain flour, 3 tsps per 200g flour. Self raising flour has the baking powder in already.

Yes @KittenVsBox , my Mum taught me the same -4oz sugar:4oz butter/stork:4oz SR Flour : 2 eggs

Same here, and it has always worked for me.

Another 4/4/4/2 or 6/6/6/3 Baker here. As taught by my mum and Grandparents. My Grandad's sponge would give Mary Berry a run for her money!

Ive never added baking powder to a sponge cake.

Is your mixture not quite enough for the size of sandwich tins you are using?
You need the 7oz/3 egg or 8oz/4 egg recipe for 2 average sandwich tins.

Don’t use a food processor. Use a hand beater, or mix by hand.

Why would baking powder be an issue - I thought that helped with the rise

If you use too much it rises too much and then the cake batter can't support the rise.

@HardAsSnails
I didn’t know that thank you - I’ve definitely done that before

Well today is the day we try again! I've learned some really useful tips from this thread so 'thank you' to you all. I suspect it was a combination of almost all of the things you mentioned. I've never felt so determined to bake in my life