Basic cake making

[Ardor]

Okay, so to learn making cakes i tried out a basic butter cake at first. I think I used too much butter at first... So it came out real bad. Now is the second time i am making one...
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Is this right? Something wrong with it? I am currently creaming the butter and sugar and it just won't cream. It's really grainy... Does this mean i need more butter?

 

[marmalady]

Below is a recipe for a very basic, delicious cake. You can check the amounts of your ingredients against this. My first thoughts of your recipe were that there wasn't enough sugar, and not enough egg. Is this a recipe you found? Or are you trying to formulate your own?

Re 'creaming' the butter and sugar; yes, it will be grainy until you add the eggs and other ingredients. It could also be grainy depending on the type of sugar you use. There is 'fine' granulated sugar, and 'extra-fine'; I always use the extra-fine when baking.

1-2-3-4 Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.

 

[Gretchen]

Where did you get your recipe? It doesn't seem to have nearly enough egg. Otherwise it is essentially the same as the 1-2-3-4 cake since that one is using self rising flour which contains the soda and baking powder.
Are you using a mixer to cream your butter and sugar? It may be a little grainy but with enough mixing it will be smooth.
Baking is very much based on chemistry and you really cannot just add more of an ingredient on a whim or guess.

 

[Ardor]

I don't remember anymore, i think i just cut down because i did not have enough. Anyway, can anyone post a picture of what consistency a spongey cake batter should be like?

 

[rdcast]

it came out real bad

When you say, it came out bad, could you be more specific ??? Like, what exactly did it do ?

 

[Ardor]

When you say, it came out bad, could you be more specific ??? Like, what exactly did it do ?

It fell on itself and was as greasy as bacon.

 

[FryBoy]

I am currently creaming the butter and sugar and it just won't cream. It's really grainy... Does this mean i need more butter?

No, it means that you need to beat it longer, 5 minutes or more in an electric mixer at fairly high speed. It will cream sooner or later.

Have the ingredients at room temperature before beating them.

Also, make sure the bowl is not too large for the ingredients -- if the beaters aren't mixing the butter and sugar well, it will take forever.

BTW, proper creaming of the butter and sugar is one of the most important steps in making a cake. Failure to do so will adversely affect the texture of the cake.

 

[Chef_Jen]

may i give you my famous cake i use it for everything and every cake base i need

1lb flour
1lb sugar
1lb butter
8 eggs
vanilla

cream butter and sugar
add vanilla
add flour mix
add eggs ONE at a time


you can add cocoa flavouring etc but it makes a nice spongy pound cake.. I use this base for jam and coconut sponge marble cake maderia cake etc

 

[jpmcgrew]

Chef jen,I noticed no baking powder in recipe.How is the texture of the cake.It sounds like a great recipe for high altitude baking.

 

[Dina]

Extra fine granulated sugar will work a lot better on cakes. Usually, cakes call for 3 to 4 eggs, baking powder and SIFTED flour. Make sure you have sifted the flour for a fluffy texture and try not to overmix the batter. OVERMIXING can ruin the cake overall. Good luck!

 

[rdcast]

Okay, so to learn making cakes i tried out a basic butter cake at first. I think I used too much butter at first... So it came out real bad. Now is the second time i am making one...
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Is this right? Something wrong with it? I am currently creaming the butter and sugar and it just won't cream. It's really grainy... Does this mean i need more butter?

That's a lot of butter but it's a butter cake if it all comes together. So it fell. Temperature determines a lot concerning rising and falling. Too hot and it rises early and falls soon after becoming dense and in this case, greasy. If you beat too much air into it then it will rise as the incorporated air expands until it collapses by virtue of the weight of the ingredients you used. Can you tell me the temperature you baked at and the length of time it was in the oven?

 

[Chef_Jen]

Hello JPM Yes it is great.. nope the eggs do ALLL the rising.. and ive made this in a high alt. place works nice.. you can add an extra egg or 2 if your worried about it.


When ive done adopt a ship with the US navy this is the cake i teach the guys to make as it works on boats very well very versitile


texture is like any regular sponge cake

 

[Chef_Jen]

Rob I wouldnt say that was too much butter actually..

but its ok that it doesnt cream smooth its not the creaming that takes care of the grainyness its the baking... the heat will help melt the sugar in the baking. But you might need a wee bit more liquid in your recipe add a couple more eggs it will help! and help with it rising

My suggestion with some of the others is use a finer sugar

here is my butter cake recipe
2 1/2 cups flour1 2/3 cups sugar1 cup butter softened 1 cup buttermilk4 eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

 

[lulu]

1lb flour
1lb sugar
1lb butter
8 eggs
vanilla

cream butter and sugar
add vanilla
add flour mix
add eggs ONE at a time


you can add cocoa flavouring etc but it makes a nice spongy pound cake.. I use this base for jam and coconut sponge marble cake maderia cake etc

Chef Jen - that is a really useful basic cake recipe . What temps and cooking times and tin sizes to you recommend?

 

[rdcast]

Always keep in mind tho, that yolks supply twice the moisture than whites with similar leavening ability.

 

[Chef_Jen]

lulu i bake at 350 ummm until done.. lol im sorry i generally dont have a specific time.. i mean maybe 15 min-20 min.. just depends on the tin you use.

Ive used that recipe for loaf tins 9" cake tins and sheet pans just depends on what im using it for

 

[lulu]

Ok! Thanks. It looks like a gem to make in a hurry when people decend unexpected, which I always need so I'm pleased to have it.

 

[Chef_Jen]

I make marble cake at least one a week using this recipe

 

[jpmcgrew]

Chef Jen,Will try recipe soon I live at 7500 ft elevation and have worked for years at 9500 ft and 10,000 ft elevations.The only cakes that turned out the best where the ones where you separate yolks and whites of eggs make meringue with whites which is what gave my cake layers lift no leavening at all.So this sounds like a real quick and simple recipe.

 

[Bridgett]

3 cups also sound like an awful lot of flour - have you tried it with maybe 2.5? It should be lighter that way.

If you want it to be light and spongey, make sure you beat the butter and sugar well - most people don't beat for long enough. You need to beat it until pale, since this is the part where you are introducing most of the air to the cake. Go nuts. Don't be scared, it won't curdle. (Unless you go really nuts).

Another way to lighten the texture, and make it spongey is to beat the eggs to a peak before folding through the mixture. This is usually in cakes that don't have butter to whip and aerate the mixture - like traditional sponge cakes.