Oh - what am I doing wrong with my new mixer? Help me make friends with it!

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

I coveted a mixer, a shiny red KitchenAid but settled for an Andrew James because I had a moment of realism.

I'll admit I'm quite scared of it, it sits on on the kitchen surface watching me, waiting for me to make a first move. It knows I'm scared of it.

I've tried making a basic sponge in it - the mixer blade didn't sweep around all the mixture and I had to use the spatula to keep it all incorporated into the mix. It didn't go well - coupled with the first use of a brand new oven, the cake was the worst I've ever made (and that's saying something). I decided it was because I hadn't put enough mixture into the bowl and took all the blame.

I've just tried making pastry (simply, easily, much quicker than doing it by hand said the internet). I used the metal mixer blade, as advised. Used loads of ingredients. But the beater just went round and round the centre of the bowl, butter hobbled helplessly around while the flour lurked menacingly on the edges. I scraped and cajoled it and pastry eventually appeared - so much for simple and easy.

So - forgive the self-pitying essay - WHAT and I doing wrong?

I have a kitchenaid and it does take a bit of practise to make cakes in there. The blade never reaches the outside of the bowl (although I use the whisk attachment anyway for sponge) so I just beat for a few mins, stop and scrape down and beat again. What method did you use for your sponge? It's quite easy to over mix, especially if you are using the all-in-one method.
I've never made pastry in mine, I use a food processor for pastry - how does it work in the mixer?

Oh - that video, doesn't bode well does it! I only got this model because others were recommending it on MN on another thread.

To make the sponge I think I did it the old way - butter and sugar, then adding the rest. It was such a long time ago that I can't remember!

To make the pastry, like I said, it all hovered in the middle. I think it is supposed to do the rubbing in bit for you, then you add some liquid. I have hot hands, with longish fingernails - not conducive for good pastry.

Is the beater height adjustable? I recently got a Kenwood Chef and you can adjust the level of the attachments to get it just right - there's even a spanner in the box. I adjusted the whisk when I first used it and the beater was fine when I tried that.

I made sponge using the all in one method in it the other day (never used that method before). My butter wasn't quite soft enough and it took quite a bit of mixing, but the results were okay. I have a crap oven - you need to watch like a hawk that things don't go from underdone to burnt.

You could get an oven thermometer and check your new oven - they are all different(!) and finding the optimum part of the oven to bake things in is worth doing.

Something like this www.lakeland.co.uk/16842/KitchenAid-Flex-Edge-Beater is best for mixing cakes etc.

My kitchenaid is mostly used for kneading bread dough and whisking things. I wouldn't've thought pastry would make well in a mixer- that's a food processor job.