Practice birthday cake in the oven

[NotABanana]

Bets on how likely it is that it will come out of the tin in several pieces rather than one?

Faith, it will be fine.

It is taken ages to cook but then it is 3 times the size of a normal cake and I put the timer on for 25 minutes. Have had to put tin foil on the top so it doesn't burn.

that's what icing is for

to hold all the bits together

and all kids love icing so if it falls to pieces, just stick it back together with more icing!

LOL

I have to decorate it yet and it is just a practice one so I will have to do it all again next week.

Had MIL all lined up to do it until DH said why wasn't I doing it and yes I could manage it.

Another question -

When the cake finally comes out of the oven is it best to try and remove it from the tin straight away or leave it until completely cold? Especially when you haven't greased it with what the recipe said.

I would leave for at least 15 mins in the tin, as hot cake is much more fragile than partially cooled.

What recipe did you use?

Oh, just in time. It has just come out.

I winged it, 1 mix of Mary Berry's Vitoria Sponge and then double the mixture again when I realised how big the tin was.

how many eggs?

that mary berry all bung in one bowl recipe is superb. I could not bake a thing before I had kids and can now do any variation of a victoria sponge (so chocolate, coffee, orange, lemon) in about 20 mins and it's all thanks to that book! Even a pavlova!

Someone once told me that anything more than 4 eggs doesn't work very well (for a normal sponge receipe, not the whipping eggs recipe) but I don't know if that is true!

NAB - this cake is foolproof - I am doing exactly the same one today although I use the same amount of mixture she does but I put it into two 8" round tins. Personally, I would leave it to go absolutely cold before attempting to remove from tin.

I am filling mine with strawberry jam and whipped fresh double cream.

Oh poo.

That will be 9 eggs.

It's going to be awful isn't it?

Looks okay so far......

leave till cold

next time butter and flour tin

or cheat and line with baking parchment

lol at 9 eggs. How big was the tin??!

They normally rise quite a bit, cakes, so it can look like you don't have much in a tin but then it gets bigger as it cooks.

I stick a fork in it to make sure it's cooked. If it comes out clean, then the mixture has set. Don't stick a fork in till near the end otherwise it lets all the air out and the cake can go down (did this once, was v annoying).

Is it cooked in the middle? If so, it will be scrummy.

Shoot. It said i had to use lard to grease and I don't have that. I said do not use butter, marg or veg oil. I'm hard, me so used corn oil

I couldn't use parchment as it is a car shaped cake tin. I decided to get my own as wasn't sure on MIL's. Came today.

The tin is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge and the mixture didn't ecen come to the top. It has now it has cooked.

I never use lard to grease my tins - just a bit of stork. I have used sunflower oil in the past.

The mixture does not come to the top in my tins before cooking. But they do rise nicely though.

lard?

if it has really stuck get some Cake Release from Lakeland or somewhere for next time

I am desperate to get it out of the tin.

I have a plan. Please feel free to tel me if daft/won't work.

What if I melted some chocolate and covered the cake in that?

er

then it;d be covered in chocolate

go and make a cup of tea and drink it to distract you from a cake that is TOO HOT TO TURN OUT YET

I didn't know lard still existed . Lard makes me think of liposuction and people sucking all the fat out of bellies.

I think I use butter and flour.

Don't worry about the mixture having to be to the top. I reckon I fill my tins about a third/half full (but depends how deep the tins are).

in that merry berry book is a recipe for realluy good chocolate icing

it's butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar and some boiling water (depends on consistency)

mix the butter (soften it first) with the cocoa powder, add loads of icing sugar and then add some boiling water (little by little, like teaspoon at a time) and mix till you get the right consistency. Is absolutely divine icing.

The cake is out of the tin.

and how does it look?

At last! Someone interested!! Will post pic now.

here

Bursting with pride. My son will love it.

Need a recipe now for enough to make it again, maybe not using 9 eggs.

tbh I'd do exactly the same again - it looks fantastic