General Chat

Its happened again despite all the helpful advice I was given last time I attempted to make cakes without the choc chips sinking.

The choc chips sank!!!!!!!!!!

Must have been a bit heavy handed.

Never mind the cakes get eaten and I can try again or vist Mr Kippling instead

Teresa

Never had that problem - a couple of times I made chocolate log and put chips in and they were fine but one day I didn't have any choc chips so I used chocolate buttons. The Chocolate Log would not roll up so we called it Chocolate Plank and just stuck the cream on top with some more buttons on top of that.

Persey :<}}

Sounds like your cake mixture is a little bit loose. It should be a soft dropping consistency, which means, when you tip a spoonful of it up it should drop slowly off the spoon, very slowly.

So not as thin as treacle, but not so thick it just stays on the spoon.

I always find that using equal measures of flour sugar fat, to the weight of the eggs is pretty much the right amount, though sometimes one batch of flour is less absorbent than another.

So if your two eggs weigh 5oz, then use 5oz each of the other ingredients,though if you're using flavourings like vanilla esence, then of course just use the few drops needed.

Sound yummy.

Could eat a bit now but on slimming world diet and hav,nt got enough syns (callories) for such a scrumpious cake

Teresa

Hi Teresa,Im not weighing the eggs.
I Think that is where I am going wrong

I will try that next time

Teresa

I didn't know about the weight of eggs affecting one's baking. Some recipes say use large eggs so I just get the bigger sized ones. I know too much sugar makes biscuits spread so instead of making "Elsie's Fingers" they turn out to be "Elsie's feet"

I do know that altitude apparently can affect eggs in your baking... not sure what it does though.

Perse

I hav,nt tried making biscuits yet but will bare it in mind about the sugar.

Thought altitude was to do with flying!!! lol

Teresa

I wasn't saying the weight of the eggs affecting the baking, but with sponge mixture, it's often pretty much right to use the same weight as the eggs in all the other ingredients.

For instance, your two eggs could weigh 5 oz, but if you're using 4 oz of everything else, then your mixture will probably be looser. On the other hand your two eggs could only weigh 3 oz, in which case the mixture will be a tad dry.

I always use 6oz flour 6oz sugar 6oz butter and 3 eggs which I found in an old cook book for sponge cakes.

Its always worth trying different methods though

Thanks for the tip.

Teresa

Oh yay!!! Another cooking thread. Yum, yum!!!

Anything which sinks, chocolate chips, fruit in cakes, etc etc is because the mixture is too runny. The mixture has to be thick enough to hold the bits in suspension.

So dropping consistency. TeresaW has the right idea. Put a large dollop of the mixture on the spoon and tip spoon upside down. Dollop should droooooooooooooooooop dowwwwwwwwwwwwwn.

If the mixture has choccy chips in it and it is not the right consistency chuck the recipe away. If you are adapting a well loved recipe and adding choccy chips, reduce the amount of liquid slightly.

However, best advice.... just eat the chocolate chips straight out of the packet and stick sultanas in the cakes. Remembering of course to reduce the amount of liquid or the sultanas will sink.


Edit. Deep dark memory question. Sponge cakes do not have butter in them. For chocolate chips cakes you need a butter cake recipe.

That I can do from the brain cells. You mix the whole lot together in the electric mixer bowl then stir in the choccy bits.

2 cups self raising flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 4oz (125g) softened butter or substitute, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Chuck everything into the small mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Then you can add chopped glace cherries OR choccy bits OR sultanas, OR add cocoa for chocolate ones. Beat again for one minute if you like or stir that lot in with a wooden spoon.

Shake the mixture off the beaters and lick any of the mixture off that's left.

Drop tablespoonsful into deep well greased patty pan trays (if you are old fashioned like me). Or 3/4 fill paper patty pan cases with mixture. Bake in a moderately hot oven 12 to 15 mins or until golden brown. Ice if you wish or make them into butterflies. And don't forget to scrape out the bowl and lick the spoons when you are finished.

lol!!!!

Off to work now.

Teresa

I have edited my post.

TW sent me a lovely recipe for Banana bread...and i just shoved in half a pack of choc chip flakes and it made no difference to the texture at all !!

In fact I have a loaf cooking as I type...hate to waste the bananas so I cook it a lot xx

If dried fruit sink in a fruit cake that problem can be solved by dusting the fruit in flour before mixing into the cake mix. That may work with choc chips - but I can't guarantee it:-))

Sue x

Bake it upside down & the choccy chips will sink to the top. lol

Steve
:o))

Bite each of the choccy bits in half and just add half to the mixture. Don't care what happens to the rest. Gulp!! Too late!!
And dusting with flour helps with the fruit..... it adds more dry ingredients to the mixture and reduces the sloppiness.