Oh, I Give Up!

[Tilly2]

I have just made Delia's cake of the week...damp gingerbread. I followed the instructions precisely and yet the cake is as flat as a pancake, just like any other cake I've ever tried to bake.

That's it now! Never again.

It might be ok, in a dish with some custard poured over but to look at it looks like a miserable excuse for a cake. What a waste of time and money. I even bought a new cake tin to bake it in.

What do I always do wrong?

[MargoTester]

I can do yorkies Tilly- Aunt Bessie's frozen nes

[Tilly2]

Rocky, just looked at the baking powder...guess what?

2008!

[Rockrose]

Baking is a precise operation, all ingredients must be weighed meticulously, the oven must be pre warmed at the right temperature and the door should never be opened during baking

[murraymints]

bicarb out of date..there's the issue..same happens with out of date yeast when baking bread !

[ladybirder]

So have you always tried baking cakes with out of date bicarb Tilly?

[jno]

it should have matured in the tin by now like a fine wine, ladybirder

[rockyracoon]

Well, she has since 2008 ;)

[Tilly2]

I had the chip the baking soda off the bottom of the tub.
:-(

[jim360]

Told you it was the cake gods. They must have swapped your actual baking powder for some duff stuff.

[Prudie]

Just checking - you did use bicarbonate of soda and not baking powder (both have been mentioned....)

[Tilly2]

I used baking powder or some old cocaine. :-)

Is baking powder not the same as Bicarb?

[-SharonA-]

Tilly, I must confess I cheat using Wright cakes mixes. They are perfect and you can add whatever you want to the mix.

[Tilly2]

I might give cake mixes a go, Sharon, or buy some in-date ingredients.

[Prudie]

No,baking powder has cream of tartar added to bicarb. Not that I know if that's what went wrong, sorry.

[Rockrose]

With the cake mixes instead of oil and water use melted butter and milk

[Tilly2]

Oil? In cakes? Really?

I have never bought a cake mix...oil?

[Rockrose]

Yes the cake mixes use oil, but I was told by an American friend that if you replace it with melted butter it comes out bett

[Rockrose]

Better

[jno]

http://www.veggies.org.uk/catering/recipes/cakes-desserts/what-is-the-difference-between-baking-soda-baking-powder/

I used to use baking soda to clean the terminals of my car batteries, back in the day when you could keep up your own car without a bank of computers.

[-SharonA-]

When I make a coconut cake with the mix, I use coconut milk.
Fruit cakes, I use orange juice.