Hi folks.

[kelly-anne]

Just signed up. I have found a hobby in cooking over last few years. Still quite fresh and picking up new things all the time. I love cooking but as my cooking skills improve my baking skills don't. So hoping to learn some new things and maybe get some practice at my future career of being a housewife. I want to be the mum who makes the best cakes!

 

[kitchenelf]

I can only welcome you and be on your team of "baking is not for me"!!!!

 

[kelly-anne]

My attempt to create carrot cake this evening was disappointing and my new and unfamiliar fan assisted oven is not my friend.

 

[LadyCook61]

Hi and welcome to DC !

 

[jkath]

Welcome, Kelly-anne! Sorry to hear about your cake. Have you made that particular recipe before?
There's one recipe that it seems all of us use (we found out when we all said we had the BEST carrot cake recipe). It's a good one.
I see you're in Edinburgh, so UK, I'm guessing
Here's the recipe, and if you'd like I can find the site where you can convert these measurements to those you're familiar with.

Carrot Cake

1½ cups canola or vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pinch salt
3 cups grated carrots (fully packed)
1½ Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ c. pecans

Frosting:
1 box powdered (confectioners) sugar
1 cube butter, soft
1 8 oz. box cream cheese
½ teaspoon vanilla
milk, as needed


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the oil & sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add nuts and mix. Pour into 3 cake pans, each 9". Bake 35 minutes, or till cakes are done.
Cool cakes on racks.
Frost, once cakes are completely cooled.

 

[Dave Hutchins]

Welcome to the group of the best foodies on line

 

[babetoo]

welcome to d.c. just stock up on cake mixes, you will be fine. just joking but i think we use them more than we would like to admit.

babe

 

[sattie]

Welcome aboard!

 

[smoke king]

Hi Kelly-Anne and welcome to DC!! So nice to have you here!

I took up cooking as a hobby several years ago (thanks Food Network!!) and like you, overall my cooking skills got better, but my baking.....well, not so good!!

I've tried and tried-my cakes always seem to come out dry-babetoo hit the nail on the head-stock up on cake mixes! For whatever reason, they always seem to come out perfectly-that way you can focus on the decorating!! (my fondant skills are becoming the stuff of legend in my family)

And besides, if your serving someone who's pallete is so refined that they can discern a box cake from a scratch cake, they probably should have been the one making the cake!!!!

Once again, Welcome!!

 

[David Cottrell]

Hi kelly-anne, great to have you - do you speak Australian? A professional baker there just joined with kind offers of help!

 

[kelly-anne]

Are you joking when you ask if I can speak Australian?

 

[David Cottrell]

Ahh, well .....

Are you joking when you ask if I can speak Australian?

Well I thought if you did he could be a big help with your baking questions!
All the best! David

 

[kelly-anne]

As far as I'm aware the first language of Australia is English. I thought everyone knew that?

 

[David Cottrell]

Just being a fool Kelly-Anne. Glad you are here!

 

[kelly-anne]

You must excuse me. I'm British and we have quite a reputation for being up tight and a bit dry. Anyway. Whats the best thing you ate today?

 

[David Cottrell]

Kelly-Anne, I've never been to your beautiful country and that is a shame. I had a tiny feeling that what you said about being up tight and a bit dry might be the case. Please excuse. I'm always glad to see someone join who isn't from North America. Welcome to this area! You might find us a bit strange but no insults intended. That is what all the smiley faces are for - to say "just kidding!" (joking)

I really didn't have anything good to eat today - just snacked off and on. Now I must correct that somehow and I don't have a clue. I think I must go buy some peanut butter and jam. Yep, that should do it! Think I will. Seriously. No joke.