Handy Hints:

Cooked or Not?

If you are unsure whether your cake layers are cooked you can use a metal skewer and stick it in the centre, if the skewer comes out clean (no cake batter stuck on it) then that layer is cooked. If not then place back into the oven for 5 minutes at a time until its cooked.

Uneven cake layers?

Cake layers uneven in size? This will be due to an uneven amount of mixture being poured into the tins. Place a clean bowl onto some scales and tip all your cake batter in, dived the weight by the amount of tins you plan to use. Place one of the cake tins on the scales and place that amount of mix into the tin. Repeat this for all the tins.

Need MORE!

If you require to make more than the recipe then just scale up. Find out how much it takes to make 1, by dividing the ingredient quantities by the amount that the recipe makes, and add however many more to the existing recipe.

Need less?

If less is needed then just scale down. Find out what is needed for 1, by dividing the ingredient quantities by the amount that the recipe makes and remove however many from the existing recipe.

Flat Cake?

Try adding a small amount of baking power into your mixture along with the flour (even if using self raising flour). Also try to add as much air as possible into the butter before you even add the sugar. Try to avoid over mixing when adding in you flour as this develops the gluten making your sponges tougher and denser.

Cake sunk in the oven?

Sometimes adding to much air or baking powder into your mixture can cause it to sink in the oven when baking. Adding too much air makes the structure weak and the cake cannot support itself. Or adding too much levering agent can cause the cake to rise to fast meaning the structure isn’t strong enough to support it, both resulting in a sunken middle.

Cakes sticking to the tin?

Sometimes even after greasing your tines well your sponge will still stick in the tin. One way to avoid this is the cut a circle of baking paper the size of your tin’s base to line it with. This way you can easily revive your cake from the tin and peel of the paper.