Simple fairy cake recipe that is ready in under 20 minutes! (2024)

FAQs

Why are my fairy cakes not fluffy? ›

Why are my fairy cakes not rising? This could be down to a lack of raising agent - or even old self-raising flour where the raising agent has become less effective.

We don't want our fairy cakes to come out flat, so the raising affects of self-raising flour takes care of that. No other baking powder required either – these are only little cakes and don't need any more assistance to rise to the occaision.

No. If your recipe asks for plain or self-raising flour, it is important to remember that these two ingredients are not interchangeable and you should use the flour recommended in the recipe along with any raising agents, such as baking powder or bicarbonate of soda.

Cakes sink in the middle due to several reasons. One reason is that the cake batter might be too moist, causing it to collapse during baking. Another reason could be that the oven temperature is too low, leading to uneven baking. Opening the oven door too frequently while baking can also cause cakes to sink.

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

Over mixing cake batter can result in a heavy, closed rubbery texture. Over mixing acts on the gluten in flour and will make cakes hard instead of the lovely soft spongy texture we associate with a good cake.

What is the difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake? Cupcakes are bigger than fairy cakes and use a generous amount of frosting on top. In comparison, fairy cakes are often drizzled with icing rather than piled high with the buttercream or cream cheese frostings that American-style cupcakes are famous for.

These delicious treats go by this name because of their size, which is small enough for a fairy to eat. However, a version of “butterfly cakes” is a design that has wings on top of the cupcakes. Similar to a butterfly or a fairy's wings!

If a recipe calls for self-raising flour it is doing so because it is relying on the raising agents in that flour to make the baked good 'rise'. If you use plain flour instead and don't add any raising agents you will most likely end up with a very flat, dense bake!

Is baking soda the same as bicarb soda? ›

Is bicarb soda the same as baking soda? Baking soda and bicarbonate of soda is the same thing! Yes, these are two different names for the same product. In Australia, we tend to use the name bicarbonate of soda (or bicarb soda for short), whereas overseas they usually call it baking soda.

Making self-rising flour at home is easy. Just use this basic formula: For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl or put them in a glass jar and shake well.

Now if the oven door is opened too early, this results in a rush of cold air into the oven and can cause the temperature to drop pretty drastically. As a result, this causes the cake to stop rising and set prematurely before the structure is strong enough to support the weight of the cake.

Assuming this happens with all your cake recipes, not just with a particular recipe, it's likely your oven and/or the placement of the oven racks. Electric ovens in particular are more likely produce cakes and cupcakes that are hard on the top. You might also have the oven rack too high in the oven.

Why do my cakes always seem too dry? A: Too much baking powder. In oven for too long or not packed as soon as cool.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

Correct oven temperature is necessary to allow the cake to rise before the structure sets. If the oven is too hot, the cake will set too fast before the air bubbles have formed. If the oven is not hot enough, the cake will rise too much, then fall in the center before it is set.

If you end up with a flat cake, there are a few possible causes. Overbeating the flour will overwork its gluten, so fold in dry ingredients with a light hand. Remember to add the raising agent – self-raising flour already contains this, but if you use any other flour you need to mix in baking powder.

My cake is very dense.

This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.