Always read the recipe carefully, weigh ingredients using accurate measures and scales and follow the order of the recipe making sure nothing is missed out - ticking off ingredients and instructions as you complete them.
Here are some questions and answers which I hope will help.
Q:
Why do cakes sink?
A:
Oven door opened too soon or under baking.
Q:
Why do cakes crack when baking?
A:
Oven too hot or cake placed too high in oven; the crust is formed too soon, the cake continues to rise, therefore the crust cracks.
Q:
How do you tell if a cake is cooked?
A:
Sponge cake – springy to the touch, shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin. Pale golden brown in colour.
Fruit cake – fine skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean and the cake should look the expected colour, light brown for a light fruit cake, darker brown for a traditional rich fruit cake.
Cover the cake rack with a clean tea towel or cloth before inverting the cake on to the rack.
Q:
Why does fruit sink to the bottom of the cake?
A:
Cake mixture too slack, fruit too large and/or syrupy e.g glace cherries (see next question).
Q:
Why do cherries sink to the bottom?
A:
They contain a lot of moisture and syrup. Need to quarter, wash and dry thoroughly before adding to the cake mixture. Addition of ground almonds to the cake mixture helps suspend the cherries as well.
Q:
Why do cakes not rise?
A:
No or insufficient raising agent, mixture too stiff, mixture overbeaten or air knocked out, or insufficient whisking (whisked sponge). Too cool an oven.
Q:
Why does gelatine go lumpy when added to mixture?
A:
Gelatine not dissolved properly. Hot gelatine added to a very cold mixture.
Q:
Why do frozen cakes always seem to be dry?
A:
Inadequate wrapping or packing. Not frozen as soon as cool.
Q:
Why do biscuits go soggy on storing?
A:
Not cold before storing in tin. Stored in same tin as cake – the biscuits absorb the mixture from the cake. Stored in a moist enviroment. If biscuits contain glace cherries, apricots etc, the moisture from these seeps into the biscuit.
Q:
Icing running off top of cake?
A:
Too much liquid – much better to have icing too thick, then it can be let down with more liquid very carefully and slowly.
Q:
Icing too thick?
A:
Let down with a little water. Warm through, e.g chocolate fudge icing.
Q:
Crumbs in the icing?
A:
Brush the cake with warmed apricot jam first to seal.
Her mother died in 2011, aged 105. At the age of 13, Berry contracted polio and had to spend three months in the Claverton Down Isolation Hospital. Her illness resulted in her having a twisted spine, a weaker left hand and thinner left arm.
Mary is now a multi- millionaire with a successful empire of cookery books, television shows and sales of her cooking equipment. At the beginning of her career, Mary worked for the Royal Kitchen where she worked for three years.
Of all the tragic things that have happened in Mary Berry's life, the one that has affected her most, is the death of her teen son, William, in January 1989. William, was home for a weekend visit from his university studies when it happened.
Mary Berry faced tragedy when her son William died in a car accident in 1989. Mary says it was her Christian faith that sustained her: 'William's death deepened my faith; without its support, I really would have struggled.
In 2019 she and her husband Paul downsized, moving to the nearby, and much coveted village of Henley-upon-Thames. But that wasn't the last she'd see of Watercroft. An involved seller, Mary regularly visited the family who bought it from her for cups of tea.
Mary shared her son William with long-term partner Paul Hunnings. The couple who married in 1966 also have two other children together - Thomas born in 1968 and Annabel in 1972.
Queen of cakes Mary Berry insists that margarine makes for a lighter texture than butter. This is true, especially for the “all-in-one” method, where all the ingredients are beaten to a batter in a food processor.
“On the whole, I really watch calories. I always have a good meal in the evening with lots of vegetables and a smaller portion of meat or fish. “I believe in a balanced diet, and because I'm ancient I don't need an 8oz steak." However, just like the rest of us, Mary's does enjoy the odd treat.
Address: Suite 592 642 Pfannerstill Island, South Keila, LA 74970-3076
Phone: +9617721773649
Job: Marketing Producer
Hobby: Skydiving, Flag Football, Knitting, Running, Lego building, Hunting, Juggling
Introduction: My name is Tuan Roob DDS, I am a friendly, good, energetic, faithful, fantastic, gentle, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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