Birthday Cake recipe???

[has]

Can you tell me if a sponge cake would have marzipan around it? Am I right in saying the marzipan sticks the icing to the cake?
Also, I need a birthday cake recipe. I'm a novice at baking so I would prefer something not too difficult!

Many thanks if you can advise & point me in the right direction.

[mollykins]

You use the wieght of the eggs as a basis, as they're the thing you can't change.

But it depends how big you want it, and I use this recipe mainly for little cupcakes, it's been a while since i did it with a big cake, but it still works. using 3 eggs gives 8 reasonable slices. And the oven should be pre heated to 180*c.

weigh the eggs then whatever they come to, weigh out the same of margerine, sugar and flour. Cream the butter and sugar together for a good 5 minutes, with a wooden spoon, then whisk in the eggs until there are no lumps. Fold in the flour and place the mixture into a greased/ baking paper lined tinned.

[NazNomad]

Weigh eggs? ... pmsl. You're 'avin a giraffe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../victoriasponge_13555

[mollykins]

And it'd take at least ten minutes, which is hwo long the cupcakes with this recipe take but of course making one big cake would take probably 15, but check with a cocktail stick after 10 minutes then if it comes out with doughy mixture on it, keep checking it every 2 or 3 mintes. xx molly

[mollykins]

We always weigh the eggs, then you know exactly hwo much of everything else you need.

[dotty.]

I've never heard of weighing eggs to make a cake, eggs come in small medium and large

[boxtops]

I've bought my birthday cake from Tesco, it's hiding until I need it!

[mollykins]

And so our recipe is universal depending on what size eggs you use, you base the mass of everything else on how much the eggs weigh else the proportions aren't right.

[NazNomad]

Weighing eggs for a cake has to be the single most ridiculous thing I've heard, sorry.

[boxtops]

Do you weigh the eggs in their shells, or out, molly? I have never heard of this before!

[ummmm]

Lol Naz.....you haven't read many of Molly's posts I take it..?

[mollykins]

well you're not gonna put the shells into the cake are you I thought that much was common sense.

[NazNomad]

Molly, I put it to you that you've NEVER made a cake ...

[treetops1]

This was used by my Grandmother years ago..Weighing the eggs to determine the other weights. Eggs are left in shells.

[shaneystar2]

I was taught to weigh the eggs for a sponge cake at school back in the year dot and then use the same amount in weight for the other ingredients .I always weigh them and I've made more sponge cakes in my life than I care to mention.
Even Saint Delia weighs her eggs
http://www.deliaonlin...oria-sponge-cake.html

[Mamyalynne]

eggs used to be weighed in this way before the sizing scheme came in, not needed now really.

[mollykins]

Final someone with common sense.

And i've baked loads of cakes in my time, and was awarded the food prize at middle school and msot of what we did at middle school was baking.

[Barmaid]

I would not marzipan a sponge cake. If I was going to ice it with fondant icing, I wouldn't make a traditional sponge cake I'd use a madeira type recipe. You will also need a crumb glaze to stop the icing picking up crumbs.

If I was going to use butter icing, I would use an ordinary victoria sponge recipe and not bother with a glaze.

[mollykins]

But the flaw with that recipe helen is that you don't specify what size eggs, 4 smmal eggs are very different to 4 large eggs, at least my nans way is universal for any size of eggs.