Help with recipe conversion (2 Viewers)

[Sonia p]

Hi again, I have a new dilemma I'm going to help my friend make a minecraft gf lemon cake. I've found this recipe but need to convert it to a 8inch x 3inch deep square cake. Maths is not one of my strengths... could you help me please regarding quantities, bake temp and time?

 

[Angie]

Sonia, just to let you know that I also bought M&S GF self raising flour and that did contain Xanthan Gum in the ingredients. So tomorrow double check your flour before you start baking to ensure you're not adding more than you need if you intend to use any.

 

[Angie]

Here are all the pictures of the cake, as promised. My cake is so yellow because I used rich yolk eggs in the batter.



This was the cake pretty much when it came out of the tin. You can see the slight dip in the top and the gummy centre.



From this piece you can see the outer edges of the cake are fine, but the centre again is gummy.



The top section of this cake was moist but crumbly.



This is when I split it into three sections, crumbly top, gummy centre, and base more Madeira-like.



Today, when cutting more slices, it is still moist but bouncy and tight in places. It does taste okay, but as an overall cake texture, it doesn't hold at the top and is springy on the base.



You can see the gumminess of the centrepiece, but the cake on the right is actually okay, albeit crumbly.



I hope yours works out better. The best thing for this is to place the crumbs into a parfait or custard, make some cake pops or sprinkle it with ice cream.

Good luck.

 

[Sonia p]

Here are all the pictures of the cake, as promised. My cake is so yellow because I used rich yolk eggs in the batter.

View attachment 9316

This was the cake pretty much when it came out of the tin. You can see the slight dip in the top and the gummy centre.

View attachment 9317

From this piece you can see the outer edges of the cake are fine, but the centre again is gummy.

View attachment 9318

The top section of this cake was moist but crumbly.

View attachment 9319

This is when I split it into three sections, crumbly top, gummy centre, and base more Madeira-like.

View attachment 9320

Today, when cutting more slices, it is still moist but bouncy and tight in places. It does taste okay, but as an overall cake texture, it doesn't hold at the top and is springy on the base.

View attachment 9321

You can see the gumminess of the centrepiece, but the cake on the right is actually okay, albeit crumbly.

View attachment 9322

I hope yours works out better. The best thing for this is to place the crumbs into a parfait or custard, make some cake pops or sprinkle it with ice cream.

Good luck.

Thanks so much for the pics. Sounds like a lot of it was still pretty good

I went and did a Victoria sponge. I used the exact recipe but put it all in the 8x3 inch pan and baked it at 150 for 45 mins and it's not too bad. Bit dry and not sure how much it should have risen in an ideal world hey ho will make 2 more for the actual cake.
The party is on sat, would you bake tomorrow then ice and fondant Friday or try and get it all done Friday? I'm a bit novice when it comes to Victoria sponges. Really don't want it to dry out before the big day.
Here are some pics...

 

[Angie]

Well, at least you have a cake and a plan, so that's a start. The two cakes should give you the height you want. I would try the stock syrup on your test cake to see if that increases the moistness of it. It looks lovely.

When I bake, I try and leave a day for the cakes to rest before I level, fill and cover them, but because we don't know how long this cake will stay fresh, it's up to you. For me, I would bake it Thursday, coat in stock syrup if that works on the cake, let it cool fully and then wrap it in baking paper and clingfilm and allow them to sit. Clingfilm breathes, hence the reason I use baking paper to cover them first.

You can always add a little stock syrup to the cake Friday if it is a touch dry, and the filling and coating will help with the overall flavour. The fondant should then help seal in what moisture there is. I think if you do everything on Friday, you have a lot to contend with. If it was just a simple buttercream exterior coating, then yeah maybe, but seeing as you are covering in fondant, then no, give yourself time to do each stage.

 

[Sonia p]

Well, at least you have a cake and a plan, so that's a start. The two cakes should give you the height you want. I would try the stock syrup on your test cake to see if that increases the moistness of it. It looks lovely.

When I bake, I try and leave a day for the cakes to rest before I level, fill and cover them, but because we don't know how long this cake will stay fresh, it's up to you. For me, I would bake it Thursday, coat in stock syrup if that works on the cake, let it cool fully and then wrap it in baking paper and clingfilm and allow them to sit. Clingfilm breathes, hence the reason I use baking paper to cover them first.

You can always add a little stock syrup to the cake Friday if it is a touch dry, and the filling and coating will help with the overall flavour. The fondant should then help seal in what moisture there is. I think if you do everything on Friday, you have a lot to contend with. If it was just a simple buttercream exterior coating, then yeah maybe, but seeing as you are covering in fondant, then no, give yourself time to do each stage.

Can I add stock syrup to a cold cake or is it too late by then?

 

[Angie]

You can add it to either hot or cold. Sometimes, I add a light coat the day after, just before I put the filling in.
With hot cakes, I find it absorbs better as the cake is still warm, so it soaks straight in. Just don't saturate the cake; otherwise, it will go soggy.

 

[Sonia p]

You can add it to either hot or cold. Sometimes, I add a light coat the day after, just before I put the filling in.
With hot cakes, I find it absorbs better as the cake is still warm, so it soaks straight in. Just don't saturate the cake; otherwise, it will go soggy.

It's at last finished. Annoyingly the gray I used was darker than I'd have liked and as the tin wasn't completely square (had rounded corners) I had to do a bit of filler! but on the whole I'm quite happy. I very nearly redid the gray this morning but thought it was probably a bit risky damn ocd traits thanks so much for all your help!

 

[Angie]

Aww Sonia, you've done a grand job with it! To be honest, I like the grey just the way it is, as it gives the cake some contrast. The height of it looks good too. You can't tell you've filled anything!

Overall, you've done fabulous, but I know what you mean about ensuring that things are perfect. Once it's done, leave it. I say that, but I spent two hours once on a tongue for my Pikachu cake, so I understand what you're getting at. The person receiving the cake will love it, and you've done a fabulous job and even more so gluten-free, so well done you and thank you for sharing.