TEA & SUPPER CAKES

HINTS ON BAKING
1. Heat the oven 10 minutes prior to using for baking. Set oven control to the setting indicated in the recipe.
2. Position the shelves in the oven as indicated.
3. Carefully prepare the baking tins, with the lining paper tight to the bottom and to the sides and corners. Buttered brown paper may be used instead of greaseproof paper or baking parchment; wax paper may be used on bottom of tins only.
4. Measure out all the ingredients before proceeding to make the cake.
5. Use either butter or margarine in cake making, remember that butter always gives cake a better flavour.
6. Always use plain flour when making an egg sponge.
7. Use white sugar in most cakes. Brown sugar gives a better colour to rich fruitcakes.
8. When a recipe calls for the egg whites to be beaten, use fresh eggs only – not preserved eggs. Always use eggs at room temperature. If they haven’t been removed from the refrigerator in time, wash them in hot water and dry.
9. If dried fruit has to be washed, dry thoroughly and put in a warm place before using.
10. Never remove syrup from glazed cherries but roll in a little flour to prevent them sinking in the cake.
11. Liquid is best used at room temperature, not directly from refrigerator.
12. When using the creaming method (beating sugar and fat together) remove the butter or margarine from refrigerator at least ten minutes before using.
13. When a rich or semi-rich fruitcake has been baked, leave it in the baking tin until cold. Remove all other cakes from tins and cool on a wire rack.
14. When making a very rich fruitcake omit baking soda or any other raising agent.

Freezing cakes: Cakes can be baked, wrapped and put into the freezer for two to three months. If they’re decorated, freeze first and then wrap, and unwrap before fully defrosting.

PREPARATION OF CAKE TINS
Tin for rich fruit cake:
1. Side-lining is done to prevent burning and to ease removal: cut a strip of brown or greaseproof paper two inches higher than the side of the tin. Allow an inch overlap.
2. Make a one-inch crease where the strip overlaps the lip of the tin. This increase will go all along the length of the strip.
3. With scissors cut diagonally along the crease at one-inch intervals. Leave paper like that for the moment.
4. Put the bottom of cake tin on a double sheet of greaseproof or kitchen paper (or even waxed paper and mark around the edge of bottom with a pencil or skewer.
5. Remove cake tin, and cut out the shape from the marked paper.
6. To line the cake tin: reverse the strip of paper in the tin with the cut edge flat and facing inwards around the bottom.
7. Arrange the double sheet of cut paper inside, in the bottom of tin.
8. Finally, grease all the lining paper with melted fat.
N.B. This method, using side-lining, is necessary only with rich fruitcake.

Loaf or sandwich tin (cake pan) when using creaming method:
1. Brush the sides of tin well with melted butter or margarine and put a sheet of greaseproof or kitchen paper (or waxed paper) on the base.
2. Brush paper well with melted butter or margarine.

Baking sheet or jam roll tin:
1. Line with greaseproof or kitchen paper or baking parchment so that the paper comes a half inch above the lip of tin. 2. Cut into each corner of paper at an angle of forty-five degrees and pull corners together, so that the paper overlaps. 3. Brush the paper with melted fat.

WHAT WENT WRONG?
BAKING WATCHPOINTS– GENERAL
Cakes with a crumbly texture when cut due to:
1. Not enough egg to bind ingredients.
2. Not enough liquid.
3. Over-baking causing drying.
4. Too much yeast.

Taste too dry due to:
1. Too stiff a mixture.
2. Not enough liquid, fat or sugar.
3. Baking at too low a temperature or for too long.
4. Too much raising agent.

Hard crust with uncooked doughy patch in centre due to:
1. Too hot oven.
2. Too quick baking.
3. Too much liquid.

Cracks across the top due to:
1. Too much flour or raising agent.
2. Too hot oven.
3. Cake tin too small.

Baked through but pale due to:
1. Too cool oven.
2. Baking too low in oven.

Collar edge on baked cake due to:
1. Cooking too high in the oven.
2. Too much raising agent.
3. Spreading mixture too carefully in the tin: it should be spread roughly, then tapped sharply.

Heavy cake due to:
1. Too much flour, fat or liquid.
2. Baked in too slow an oven.

Burnt outside due to:
1. Oven too hot.
2. Oven too small for size of cake tin.
3. Baking too high in the oven.
Close damp texture due to:
1. Too much raising agent.

Is the cake sufficiently baked?
1. Look at the edge of the tin: a noticeable shrinkage should have taken place.
2. Rich fruitcake: push a skewer or sewing needle in gently; if it comes out clean the cake is done.
3. Sponge cake: press top of cake with fingers; if it springs back up it is done.

BASIC CAKE– ALL-IN-ONEMETHOD
Hollow top due to:
1. Over-beating.
2. Oven too hot.
3. Insufficient cooking.

GINGERBREAD AND BOILED FRUITCAKES
Sinking in the middle due to:
1. Too much raising agent.
2. Too much syrup or treacle.
3. Oven too hot.

FRUITCAKES
Burnt outside due to:
1. Oven too hot.
2. Oven too small for side of cake tin.
3. Baking too high in the oven.
4. Tin being lined with tinfoil, which conducts overmuch heat.

Fruit sinking to the bottom due to:
1. Use of too much baking powder.
2. Use of too much liquid, making batter too slack to support fruit.
3.Butter or other fat becoming too soft during warm weather.

Excessive dryness due to:
1. Too stiff a mixture.
2. Baking at too low a temperature or for too long.

Big cracks across top of rich fruit cake due to:
1. Tin too small.
2. Oven too hot.
3. Use of a raising agent.
4. Not enough liquid.