Suddenly my cakes won't rise

bluegeranium

I don’t use baking powder only self raising flour which was Homepride (I always use McDougalls but it was much cheaper. I will test the oven temperature but the oven isn’t very old so I doubt it’s that. I’ve made hundreds of cakes and never had this problem.

I've got a new oven and haven't tested it for cakes yet but it has a fan facility as well as conventional (I think, have to investigate a bit more yet).

I'm sure years ago my cakes were better baked in a conventional oven than in the fan oven I had until recently.

Did you use soft margarine or block, bluegeranium?
I usually use butter but have bought Stork soft margarine to try next time.

Possibly due to Brexit?

Perhaps the baking powder in the self-raising flour has lost it's potency. To make self raising, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/4 tsp per cup of plain flour.

If your self raising is out of date, maybe just add 1 tsp per cup.

Thank you all for the replies this was my first post on here and I wasn’t sure if I would even get any! I will try again soon and try the all-in-one method using baking powder I’m a bit old school and have always used the traditional method but if it’s good enough for Mary Berry I’ll give it a go.

Sorry I was not referring to you bluegeranium. The appropriate recipient knows who they are. My computer skills require improvement.

Your remark says much more about you than you probably imagine. Not necessarily in a good way either.

Only time I've had problems like this was making dumplings for stew. I'd picked up plain flour by mistake.
I use the all in one method for cakes and use SR flour with baking powder too

If your oven is fairly new it shouldn't be the temperature, though this is worth checking. Of course you can't be sure of exactly what the temperature was previously.
I wonder if the constituents of Stork or the quantity of rising agent in the flour has changed. It's really annoying but manufacturers do change their products, often without telling consumers. I think I'd add a very small amount of raising agent to the flour to see if this makes a difference.

Could the flour you are using be slightly damp? Or the eggs less fresh than usual?

I have known either of these things to cause cakes not to rise properly.

I bought an oven thermometer after I had this happen to me a couple of times so I now know when it has reached the correct temperature which is some time after the indicator suggests it is at the specified temperature. I warm the oven to 10C above the required temp and then lower it after the tins have gone in. I use Stork but let it get to room temperature first - everything else is at room temperature. I generally use all-in-one methods for sponges which usually uses 1 tsp of baking powder for each 4 oz of flour. I sift the flour as well even though the packs say you don't need to. MacDougall's superfine flour does give a slightly lighter result for me. I usually bake a 3 egg sponge in 20cm tins at 160C (fan) for 30 minutes in my oven. Absolutely no opening the door before 25 mins are up! Good luck - I hope you get to the bottom of the problem.

Ilovedogs22

Allira

Ps yes, I've started adding a little baking powder too.

Ohh Allira! You rebellious devil you!😊
Watch out you'll be dabbling with the devillish cream of tartar before you know it!
A slippery slope. 😊

😀

I remember taking my DC to my aunt's for tea years ago.

Auntie kept apologising for her scones which weren't as good as usual as she'd run out of cream of tartar.
I'd never heard of cream of tartar before.

The scones were delicious anyway.

Allira

Ps yes, I've started adding a little baking powder too.

Ohh Allira! You rebellious devil you!😊
Watch out you'll be dabbling with the devillish cream of tartar before you know it!
A slippery slope. 😊

Ps yes, I've started adding a little baking powder too.

Esmay

I used to bake a lot and would find thst a too cool oven would make a sponge cake flat .
I always added extra baking powder to self raising flour .
I wonder if freezing Stork affected the bake

Start with everything at room temperature, including the eggs.

I used to bake a lot and would find thst a too cool oven would make a sponge cake flat .
I always added extra baking powder to self raising flour .
I wonder if freezing Stork affected the bake

I don’t use baking powder only self raising flour which was Homepride (I always use McDougalls but it was much cheaper. I will test the oven temperature but the oven isn’t very old so I doubt it’s that. I’ve made hundreds of cakes and never had this problem.

Ilovedogs22

Grannylynj

‘Wasn’t out of date?? Do you mean weren’t?

I don't think nitpicking bluegeranium' grammar is going to help her scones to rise Grannylynj! It just might raise her hackles. 🤔

Anyway it weren't out of date!

Do you use baking powder? That stops working when out of date.

Perhaps there is a problem with your oven. It may not be getting up to the right temperature. At certain times of the day, when there is high demand, the energy seems to drop.

Grannylynj

‘Wasn’t out of date?? Do you mean weren’t?

I don't think nitpicking bluegeranium' grammar is going to help her scones to rise Grannylynj! It just might raise her hackles. 🤔

Not sure I understand your posts Grannylynj

Of course not

Invest in an oven thermometer, you might be surprised that the temperature is not correct.

‘Wasn’t out of date?? Do you mean weren’t?

I've had the same problem recently Bought an oven thermometer, that was ok, changed the flour and sugar for fresh packets although they wasn't out of date. Went from butter to Stork, decided on a slightly different recipe for a Victoria Sponge, lower temperature and longer time and the last one was perfect. No idea what of the ingredients has changed, but something has.