Steve Maskery
Established Member
I used to bake a lot, at one time. Every weekend. But not so much in recent years.
Since moving in to this house, I've had a few attempts at cakes, but they have always been a little disappointing in the rising department. They taste OK but don't look good, and some have had a deep sunken hole in the middle.
I started to wonder what I was doing wrong, and lots of places suggested I check the oven temperature, so I treated myself to an oven thermometer. According to that, my oven is 10 - 15C cooler than the oven itself purports to be. So yesterday I made a Lemon Drizzle cake using my new gadget and lo and behold, it is risen indeed!
Unfortunately something appears to have happened to it, can't think what, so I don't have a photo, but it did really happen, honest!
So if you have problems getting it to rise, treat yourself to an oven thermometer, it might make all the difference.
If you are interested:
Grease and line a 1lb tin (yes, it's a small one)
Sift 100g SR flour with 1 level tsp of baking powder.
Cream 100g Stork with 100g caster sugar.
Add zest of one lemon.
Beat in two eggs adding a spoon of flour with the last one to stop it all curdling
Fold in the rest of the flour
Pour into the tin, bake at 180C for 35m.
Remove from oven but leave in tin for 5 mins
Squeeze the lemon. Mix half of it with 50g sugar
Stab the cake all over with a skewer, pour the other half of the juice into all the holes
Pour the lemon icing over the top.
Remove from the tin and allow to cool properly on a wire rack
Eat. Ah, so that's what happened to it.
Since moving in to this house, I've had a few attempts at cakes, but they have always been a little disappointing in the rising department. They taste OK but don't look good, and some have had a deep sunken hole in the middle.
I started to wonder what I was doing wrong, and lots of places suggested I check the oven temperature, so I treated myself to an oven thermometer. According to that, my oven is 10 - 15C cooler than the oven itself purports to be. So yesterday I made a Lemon Drizzle cake using my new gadget and lo and behold, it is risen indeed!
Unfortunately something appears to have happened to it, can't think what, so I don't have a photo, but it did really happen, honest!
So if you have problems getting it to rise, treat yourself to an oven thermometer, it might make all the difference.
If you are interested:
Grease and line a 1lb tin (yes, it's a small one)
Sift 100g SR flour with 1 level tsp of baking powder.
Cream 100g Stork with 100g caster sugar.
Add zest of one lemon.
Beat in two eggs adding a spoon of flour with the last one to stop it all curdling
Fold in the rest of the flour
Pour into the tin, bake at 180C for 35m.
Remove from oven but leave in tin for 5 mins
Squeeze the lemon. Mix half of it with 50g sugar
Stab the cake all over with a skewer, pour the other half of the juice into all the holes
Pour the lemon icing over the top.
Remove from the tin and allow to cool properly on a wire rack
Eat. Ah, so that's what happened to it.