why don't my cakes rise??

[MummyElk]

So I can cook, really, not so bad at it...
and fairy cakes etc are fine....
but the moment I try to make a bigger cake, it just doesn't rise...very much....Any ideas why?
Friday I made a lovely coffee and walnut cake, used electric beaters to see if that made a difference....and it didn't..
DH wonders if it's the oven (which is a shit fan one)..
Could I need more eggs? Had a yorkshire pudding epiphany recently and it was down to the eggs...
or my baking powder being old?

help me oh wise ones

don't know... what's your recipe?
how hot?

a couiple of things you might not have thought of, don't open the door at all while it's cooking. and don't slam the door when you first put it in

MummyElk - me too! Mine always come out resembling biscuits, and i have to pad them out with lots of icing and filling. It's so frustrating.
Awaits great insight from the MN community...

Do you sift your flour and baking powder?

hmm not always....maybe i should?! does it make a difference? sifting...hmm.....

and thisisyesterday I try not to do either but there is a small chance i did on Friday so perhaps that would account for it...

Get new baking powder anyway as it's cheap and you can rule it out if that doesn't make a difference.

Always sift.

Don't over mix your mixture.

I had an oven which never baked a good cake.

I'm not good at cooking meals as such but make pretty good cakes. They do tend to rise and are always really light and moist.

My best tip is to always really whisk the butter and suggar until it's really light in colour and smooth add eggs gradually and then only a very gentle whisk when it gets to flour stage and to add table spoon of milk.

I use self raising flour. There is an amazing one that is so fine (maybe homepride??? can't remember) that a sift isn't really needed.

get some new baking powder and try with bigger eggs?

Add a teaspoon of baking powder to self raising flour. (Stolen from Mary Berry cake book - makes amazing cakes, and you don't need to worry about creaming butter etc, just bung it all in and whisk with machine)

EGGS, imho
haven't read everything so don't know if it's been said. Esp if you are using 'medium' eggs, use one extra. At room temp if poss. And 'fold' in flour with a massive whisk - it takes waaayyy less time and makes your cake come up really light! FWIW, I don't use baking powder at all. Just get decent SR flour, usually mcdougals, never ever supermarket own brand any more - found that one out the hard way

I also have a ten year old fairly lame fan oven, but have it sussed. shelves in the middle of the oven not the top.

When you sift your flour, hold the sieve up high so lots of air gets into it, makes them nice and light.

oooh thank you all, most helpful...i'll start at the cheap end of the spectrum with new baking powder/decent SF flour....and eventually work up to the armtwisting new oven option, DH will be delighted
great excuse to get baking anyway, I'll have a perfect cake out of myself by the end of the week.....

I always use plain flour and baking powder, never self-raising, it just doesn't work for me!

Im far to lazy to sift flour and have never had a problem either.

It could be the pans you are using. It deff makes a difference if you go out and buy quality thick ones not the cheaper ones.

Make sure you are using the size stated.

Also what I have leant is that the batter doesnt rise on the outside just in the middle this is because the pan is the hottest on the outside hence cooks too quick. I wrap a few pieces of thick paper around and tie with string. Also turn down the oven a little especially if fan assisted.

Have you bought a thermometer to check if the oven is working properly?

I bet you a million quid it is your oven.

I always had problems with my fan oven so I bought an oven thermometer and it showed that the temperature of the oven was nowhere near the temp I had set the dial to.

They are £5 each in Debenhams or at Lakeland.

oven thermometer. I never travel without one. (well, I always take one with me to a holiday cottage - some ovens are spot on, others have amazingly little relation to what they say.)

By boardbunny Sun 29-Nov-09 19:58:44
When you sift your flour, hold the sieve up high so lots of air gets into it, makes them nice and light.

I cannot remember the name of the Mnetter who did this but a few years ago, she was saying sift higher and some one (a thick eegit she was getting exasperated with) asked her how high? So she got her DH to take a photo of herat her bathroom room upstairs, hung the sieve out the window, put some flour through it and said "THIS HIGH"

That's such a dull story - it was funny at the time.

was it not Slubberdegullion when she was determined to come second in the Victoria sponge comp in the village show?
She succeeded IIRC

it might have been Kathy but I just searched her name and looked at profile pics and it's not on there. It was bloody funny though, who ever it was !