baking cakes

[idun]

I realised that this old 'dog' (does that apply to a woman?) has just learnt a new trick this week.

I often use WI recipes these days, but I think I got rather carried away with exactly what they were saying.

For a basic sponge, weigh the eggs (in shells) and use that as the measurement for the butter, sugar and SR flour.

Beat the eggs.

Beat the fat and sugar until creamy, but I thought it meant really thick and creamy and so I beat and beat and had a VERY thick and creamy mix into which as per instructions, I added the beaten egg and flour and as I so often do, a pinch of baking powder.

Rose beautifully, and then it sank in the middle, to my horror, I must say, I never have what I imagined I was going to end up with as a sad and sunken cake.

AS it was the cake was not sad where it had sank, but fine, just looked absolutely AWFUL.

So I decided to look up and see what had happened. The magic of google!

And this is what I had found out.

In my desire to beat more air into the cake, I had over beaten the sugar and fat and probably the eggs, and it had risen in the oven wonderfully, but unable to support itself had sunk again.

'I' did not know you could do that. I had no idea you could do that at all.

So that will teach me. Stick to my old, what I was smugly considering lazy ways of not getting enough air into the cake when mixing, as my old way works[:D]

I live and learn.

[woolybanana]

Fill the middle with lemon drizzle and call it a lemon lake cake!?

[idun]

LOL

I DID! Of course I did, did not help but though, as when I cut it, you can see the dip even more,icing would have been better, perhaps!

Won't be happening again!!

[Patf]

Idun - I wonder if that's similar to what happened when my husband first started to make bread.

After the first rise he bashed the poor dough so hard for so long that he knocked all the life out of it.  It never rose again and was very solid when baked. Now we have a machine for kneading and he handles the dough more gently.

Mind, I have seen a method of slap and fold for dough which is quite violent [;-)]

When I make a sponge cake I don't use any fat, only eggs sugar and flour. And a little almond essence. I bought a new flan baking tin from Lakeland recently and for the first time managed to make a perfect sponge flan case, for fruit, cream etc. I used 3 eggs 3oz sugar, beaten until thick. Then 3 oz plain flour folded in.

So much trial and error in baking.

[idun]

I make fatless sponge too, as well as flourless cakes[:)]

This was just the classic victoria sponge recipe , one I make  most.

Re the bread, yes, you can bash it, slap it, throw it onto the worksurface for the first knead, but the second one, is rather more tender affair, very gentle touch, otherwise too much air will get knocked out.

Hard bread though, can also be down to too much yeast, as there isn't enough flour to 'eat' up the flour, or what ever it does.

I always find that any men I have got to knead the dough make wonderful bread, as they have a heavier hand, for the first knead, than I have.

And frankly, I do sometimes give my dough a right good going over when I am upset or mad about something.