Aargh just attempted my first sponge cake and it hasn't risen at all!

[loolop]

Help! Any ideas why? Followed recipe exactly! It's DD's birthday on Saturday and so wanted to make her a cake!

How much of the flat one have you eaten?

You can sandwich together and patch up, view the sponge as a modelling material rather than a finished product, iyswim.

Please don't give up, I care about this.

Perhaps if I can now get one to rise a lot in the middle and not at the sides it will work.....?

The icing will hide all the repair work.

It'll be fab, honest.

use buttercream to stick bits together.

If it tastes good it'll be ok.

have faith woman.

loolop I am off to bed - don't stay up too late, I have visions of you up ALL night making cake after cake that aren't "quite right"

Ladies if any of us (like me) are up in the night with night feeds, perhaps we should check in on her on a kind of rota to see if more advice needed.

I'm usually up around 2.30am!

If you buy a supermarket one we will all be very disappointed.

And now i really must go to bed.

Good Luck.

Recipe:
175g self raising flour
3 Eggs
175g caster sugar
175g butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

All mixed together until mixture drops off spoon then spread evenly into 8 inch tin into a (fan) oven at 160 degrees for 30 mins then supposedly - voila but so far not the case!

Have now run out of ingredients - am going to perservere with this tomorrow - she will have a homemade cake if it kills me (or the party guests!!)

Cadelaide - alas the flat one is no more...DH thought it was hysterically funny to throw it across the kitchen a la a frisbee!!!!!

Lollipop - if I had anymore butter a third attempt would be entering the oven as we speak....

Oh the waste!

Are you creaming the butter and sugar first, then adding the eggs one at a time?
Then you have to be gentle when you fold in the dry ingredients.

You must be tired.

Wake up tomorrow and believe you can do it. It doesn't have to be perfect, think "homemade charm".

Oh, and we will want pics!

Ok... if it's a sponge cake without butter ie eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla your problem is not whisking eggs and sugar together enough... they should be almost frothy and a dribble of mix from the beater should still stand proud. Then fold in the flour with a metal spoon so that you don't beat the air out of it and then, if you have right quantities for tin diameter and don't open oven door, it'll rise. If you are making a Victoria sponge ie butter, sugar, eggs and flour your problem may well be not mixing it enough, espec if butter and eggs were in the fridge. Also check tin diameter. Do you have recipe book that came with either your oven or mixer or food processor? Alternatively, there's a great cookery book called the Food Bible by Prue Leith that has lots of recipes and explains why and how to do certain things eg folding flour with metal rather than wooden spoon etc. Good luck!

I should be in bed but can't seem to switch off!

Your recipe is a victoria sandwich sponge recipe. I find it best to cream the sugar and butter together first. (in fact I would use baking margarine). Beat in the eggs one at a time with a little flour. Then fold rest of flour in gently. This make sure air is incorporated in and remains in the mixture at all times. Cupcakes are usually ok with the all in one method you describe.

I handle an actual cake a bit more delicately but that is just the way I was taught (from the Be-ro book) and it usually works. Anyway, lesson over. Lots of luck for tomorrow.

x-posts cadelaide. We should charge for this.

Ah yes pofaced, all ingredients at room temp.

And now i really, really am going to bed

That recipe sounds like the one I know, but usually the ingredients should be mixed like this:

• cream the softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy

• beat the eggs and add with vanilla essence to the butter/sugar a little at a time, preferably with an electric whisk. Add a little flour if the mixture looks like it's about to curdle or separate

• fold in sifted flour and baking powder a bit at a time with a large metal spoon

• bake at 175 degrees

All this is a faff but keeps the air in the mixture.

Alternatively you can use an all in one recipe where you just mix everything up together, but think these have slightly different ingredients - often specify margarine instead of butter for example.

Does this help? Maybe not. But don't give up yet.

lots of x posts!!! time for bed.

Sorry couldn't post again last night - pooter went funny! Right I am going to try again today using the gradual mixing method!!

Excellent. Do you have an electric whisk? Will need v strong arms otherwise, and a wooden spoon for butter/sugar/eggs followed by metal spoon for flour.

Don't have an electric whisk only a hand blender. Is Madeira Cake easier to make?! Have got a 10inch cake tin - could I make a madeira cake in that then cut in half to add jam and buttercream?

Mmm - I love madeira cake. But I've never made one, sorry.

I'd give the Victoria Sponge another go.

Message withdrawn

Would try slightly hotter oven. I never adjust v much downwards for fan oven.

Come on Loolop, I have things to do.

How's that cake?

I caved!! Only managed to get one sponge that was half decent after 8 attempts! Was beginning to lose the will to live so decided to ice that half and decorate it (no jam or buttercream!) but I also went and bought one in case people expect something edible.

Am a rubbish cook - thank you for all your help - I wouldn't even have half a sponge without it!

Well done you.

Bet everyone will much prefer your version, shop cakes are vile (unless you go to Konditor and Cook, of course!)