Making the perfect cake.?

Question

I've just spent hours trying to make a cake I measured all the ingrediants all properly and put it into my cake tin put the gas on in the oven and it was there for 2 hours and its still not right in the middle its all moist and not fluffy infact it was that bad I've given up and its in the bin. Can someone give me an easy fool prove recipe for a cake to go into a 12 inch diameter tin thats about 3 inches thick. Thank you.

It needs to be a tin I dont want to cheat with ready packet stuff and theres nothing wrong woth my oven its new and Ive just cooked a perfect pizza in there.

Answer 1

Forty-Eleven Easy Cakes

I'm tired of looking at recipes that are all so similar.
Here is my recipe for producing an infinite variety of
different cakes, or if not infinite, at least forty-eleven.

Choose your ingredients: here is where you get to show off
your creativity and/or weirdness. Look at the ingredients
list and decide what you want to throw into your mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grab whatever cake pan(s) are handy and clean(ish).
Grease or spray them - not necessary to flour them.
If using an Angel or Bundt pan, spray the whole thing.
If using flat pans, spray just the bottom, not the sides.
You can even bung the batter into some bread tins, if
that's all you can find - usually works out okay. If
not, you can always make trifle or feed it to the birds.

Ingredients:

One standard cake mix - 18 oz. approx.
One small package INSTANT pudding - 3 to 4 oz.
Chips or morsels - approx. 6 oz. (optional)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs or one cup egg substitute or egg whites
2/3 cup water or one cup canned fruit with juice
1 cup sour cream or some flavor yoghurt

Steps:

1. Throw all ingredients into large mixing bowl.
Mix on low until combined. Then mix on "beat" for
two minutes, using rubber scraper to insure a good mix.
2. Bake for the number of minutes shown below until a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
3. Let cool for ten minutes before turning out of pan(s).
4. Serve plain, or with an icing/filling/topping.
Another opportunity to demonstrate your "mood."

Baking times: (at 350 degrees)

Angel or Bundt pan - 45 to 50 minutes
13 x 9 inch pan - 40 to 45 minutes
Two 8-inch pans - 40 to 45 minutes
Two 9-inch pans - 35 to 40 minutes
Twenty-four cupcakes - 25 to 30 minutes

That's it. Simplicity itself.

Here are three examples to get you started.
------------------------------------------------------
One Devils Food cake mix - 18 oz. approx.
One small package chocolate INSTANT pudding - 3 to 4 oz.
Chocolate chips or morsels - approx. 6 oz. (optional)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup raspberry yoghurt

Serve with whipped cream and raspberries
------------------------------------------------------
One carrot cake mix - 18 oz. approx.
One small package INSTANT French vanilla pudding - 3 to 4 oz.
Butterscotch chips or morsels - approx. 6 oz. (optional)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
one cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup sour cream

Serve with cinnamon ice cream and chopped walnuts
------------------------------------------------------
One lemon cake mix - 18 oz. approx.
One small package INSTANT pistachio pudding - 3 to 4 oz.
White chocolate chips or morsels - approx. 6 oz. (optional)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
one jar peach baby food plus 1/4 cup water
1 cup peach yoghurt

Serve plain with brightly colored Jordan almonds on the side
(serve an odd number of almonds - prettier than an even number)

Answer 2

You did not say if you made it from scratch.

First of all , not all oven are the same. Some get hotter. Was your cake in the middle of the oven. Remember that heat rises

That said.

Make sure you mix, the butteror marg or crisco etc, with the eggs one at a time after you have mixed them slightly. then add sugar , vanilla, salt..mix well

Add flour and add 1/3 and 1/3 or the milk. mix well making sure you scrap the sides. Do this in thirds till all is mixed very well


This will ensure your wet and dry ingredients are even and it should be fine. Practice makes perfert. I have had that same thing happen to me when I first started making cake. You can also drop the degrees of the overn 50degrees. It will take a bit longer .

I made a Chocolate Pound Cake with Cream Chees Icing and sometimes I cook at 300 degrees on the lowest rack.

Makes sure you preheat oven till the light goes out. If you put it in before it has heated evenly, it will be too hot.

Good luck :)

Answer 3

6oz of flour, sugar and butter and 3 eggs. Make sure the flour is self-rasing-if you forget, add baking powder. Make sure you make a slight dip in the middle of the cake before putting it in the oven as it rises most in the middle. Gas mark 4 for about 20 mins, but keep checking. The other thing is try not to open the oven alot as it causes the cake to go flat, put it on the top shelf.

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I hate to say this, but the problem could be the oven rather than the recipe. Gas ovens tend to have very uneven heat - electric fan ovens are much better for domestic baking because of the even heat. I really hope this isn't the case, and I'd be very interested to hear how some of these recipes work out. Good luck!

Answer 5

4 egg whites
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening softened
1 3/4 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups buttermilk

mix all of the dry ingredients except sugar
mix wet ingredients with sugar and then mix both together.

bake at 350 degrees F until you can put a toothpick in the middle and pull it out without crumbs or cake mix on it. it should come out clean.

Answer 6

Betty Crocker Butter Recipe cake mixes taste just like homemade. I've used them several times to take to parties, and everyone always thinks they're from scratch, because of the taste and texture the butter adds.

Answer 7

The very best cakes are from Duncan Hines cake mixes found in the grocery store. They are darn near bullet proof and very very good. Just follow the simple directions. Much better than Betty Crocker...sorry Betty. My fav are the chocolate ones...Hmmmmm.

Answer 8

I'm not the best baker but I've always found that making cup cakes works best. especially chocolate cupcakes w/ white vanilla frosting. I usually buy Pillsbury chocolate cake mix and make my own frosting. It tastes homemade because I make my own frosting. you can find really good frosting receipes online.

Answer 9

nigella lawson has some fab recipes for cakes in her "how to be a domestic goddess" book fool proof too!!

Answer 10

maybe something is wrong with ur oven......