So why do my homemade cakes always turn out like crap?

I tried to make Steve a nice birthday cake today (his birthday is Tuesday), using this recipe:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/14/dining/141mrex.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Except for the whipped cream topping -- I'll be doing a vanilla buttercream instead.

Every time I make a homemade cake, it always comes out FLAT - maybe just an itty bitty loft to it, but more like the height of a brownie, not a cake.

The only cakes I ever get to come out right are the ones out of a box mix.  What am I doing wrong?

I measured out everything, took care not to mix too much.  Personally, I thought the recipe was a bit fiddley but I really tried my best.  I used the unsalted butter, plain flour, I had to use baker's chocolate (what's available here as we can't buy unsweetened chocolate that I know of), used caster sugar (regular sugar here is coarser IMO than what you buy as sugar in the US), I put in extra baking powder to allow for that British baking powder isn't double acting or whatever.

And still - I've got two flat layers that look like crap.  I ***hate*** spending all that time, and springing for good ingredients & then it comes out like that. :\\\'(

Should I have used self-rising flour instead (plus the stated amounts of baking powder, baking soda & salt on top of the self-rising bit)?

Is your baking powder out of date?

I don't know what to tell you, C. It sounds as if it should have worked just fine. Maybe try using a UK recipe next time so you don't have to substitute ingredients? But, honestly, that shouldn't have really made any difference.

What kind of pans do you use?  Some of the darker, Teflon-ish pans can cause problems if you don't bake the correct amount of time.

Is your baking powder out of date?

Just checked.  Yes, it is.

Thing is - I don't do enough baking (or haven't been in the recent past anyway), to use up the baking powder before it expires.  Or I get disgusted - like I am now, and just go off baking...and the months tick by.  Note to self:  more baked goods, more often!  (there should be a fat smiley)

I did just see something while googling that you can make your own baking powder by mixing baking soda with cream of tartar -- now I never knew that!  Maybe that would be a better idea rather than buying a whole thing of baking powder that I never seem to end up using before it expires.

I have sort of medium-color Teflon layer pans.

Honestly, the cakes seem perfect in every other way -- the way they smell, nice & smooth, etc (just turned them out on the wire racks).  Just flat.

Steve says - Don't worry, it'll still taste good.

(Also, TBH, I really didn't know that out of date baking powder would make such a huge difference.  I remember my mom's baking powder always being in the cupboard for ages & ages -- that Calumet double-acting stuff, and she would still use it & get reasonable results.)

I'm sure I used to get away with it more as well. But for some reason now I always have to check my baking powder and yeast. Honestly, though, baking powder isn't that expensive, so not worth getting upset about wasting it!!

Also all spices and dried herbs loose their potentcy with age. Especially ground stuff. And even more so if they are exposed to light.

Not sure if that would affect cream of tartar though. I'd think baking soda would be ok for some time...

The out-of-date baking powder may well be the culprit, but I also remember someone posting over in the Nestle Tollhouse thread about flour conversions - using more if you're using plain flour, or using strong white bread flour instead.  I tried the latter when I made my last batch of cookies the other day and the difference was incredible!

This is exactly why I don't make homemade cakes. My reasoning is why should I bother when the box stuff turns out so nice!? If I want to add my homemade touch I do it in the icing. You can blame my mother for my poor baking skills!  

Is it just American cakes that turn out flat or British cakes too?  I've seen a few people post that US baking powder is double acting whilst UK is single, which may account for your flatness in the American recipe.

The out-of-date baking powder may well be the culprit, but I also remember someone posting over in the Nestle Tollhouse thread about flour conversions - using more if you're using plain flour, or using strong white bread flour instead.  I tried the latter when I made my last batch of cookies the other day and the difference was incredible!

Why does choosing flour and sugar in this country have to be so HARD!? They think we have too many choices in the US!

Honestly, though, baking powder isn't that expensive, so not worth getting upset about wasting it!!

Aye, we're tight up here in Yorkshire, don't ya know?

...but I also remember someone posting over in the Nestle Tollhouse thread about flour conversions - using more if you're using plain flour, or using strong white bread flour instead.  I tried the latter when I made my last batch of cookies the other day and the difference was incredible!

See I wondered about that, but I was wondering if the strong white bread flour is more glutenous (what makes it 'strong') & do you want that sort of quality for a cake - if you know what I mean?  So then I thought maybe I should have just used the self-rising stuff -- is that more like what we'd call 'cake flour' in the US?

What were the cookies like - strong/glutenous or just normal-like?

Will let you know how the cake tastes -- we're going to have it tonight with ice cream.  I bought these champagne bottle shaped candles for it.  I'll send whatever is left to work with Steve tomorrow - the guys at work will eat anything.

Is it just American cakes that turn out flat or British cakes too?  I've seen a few people post that US baking powder is double acting whilst UK is single, which may account for your flatness in the American recipe.

I put double the amount of baking powder that the recipe called for -- trying to allow for that.  Planning to try a British recipe next for lemon drizzle cake - not sure when.  Will see how that comes out, but I do like American cakes a lot too!

I was kind of afraid the cookies would turn out tough - but they were perfect!  The main problem I'd been having making them over here was that they tended not to rise enough - instead, they sort of "puddled" on the pan.  (Still edible, but not quite as yummy.)  I thought it was due to a conversion error with F to C or maybe that I wasn't measuring the butter quite right (darn 250g blocks of butter!  I only need 227g!) but it turns out it really *was* the flour - this batch is puffy and chewy and delicious, just like they should be.

Okay, now I have to go eat a cookie.  *shakes fist*

I make chocolate cakes all the time.  It's close to that recipe but I mix things differently and I don't use baking powder or soda (no problem on rise).  For all light cakes, I almost never use powder or soda.  For heavier ones, you only need a little bit to move it along.

This is a guess but looking at the recipes, I would be more careful with the following things:
Room temperature ingredients.  If one thing is hotter than the other you lose air.

When you beat the butter (soft not squishy) and sugar together, it should almost double in size (That is why it it makes the butter turn almost white).  You are using the sugar crystals to bring air into the mixture.  Make sure your butter doesn't melt during your mixing.

If your chocolate is too hot, you risk melting the butter and losing air.  If your mixture collapsed into goo (you will need to start a new batter), then your chocolate was too hot.  Chocolate is always a bit hard to work with.  If you melt chocolate by itself you risk burning it.

Fold as little as possible.  divide it into 3 batches when you are mixing.

If you think your flour is too heavy, lighten it up or use cake flour.  I usually put in 2 tsp of corn starch into my APF to lighten it up.  But it's not really a bit deal.

When I bake a cake, I always put a pan of water in the bottom for even cooking and so the cake doesn't dry out.  I also get a spray bottle and mist the surface lightly.  But I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

Well, Mrs Robinson, if you are looking for a good UK recipe, I can't recommend enough Nigella's clementine cake.  It's a doddle to make and served with Green & Blacks Chocolate ice cream is nothing short of heaven on earth.

I'm on the fence about the supposed 'double acting' baking powder. I used to do this religiously, or use US powder which Mom would send. But a couple days ago I used a US cake recipe with British baking powder used without doubling it, and it puffed up a charm.

I've never had a problem with my toll house cookies being flat, but I tend to add things like oatmeal and raisins to mine anyway which bulks them up.

Mmmmm. Cookies!