Baking help.

[tireesix]

I figured I would ask here because I really need some help.

I don't know whether the problem I am having is the ingredients or the oven or something else but each time I bake a cake it refuses to rise and I am getting so down hearted that each time I bake any cake, especially birthday cakes, we just end up with some flat thing on a plate.

I have messed around with ingredients and baking time and baking temperature and nothing seems to work, I have even changed mixing methods but still nothing.

My girls are allergic to cows milk, so the ingredients we use are soya spread (if anyone knows the Pure brand its the yellow one), caster sugar, eggs, SR flour.

Is there any chance that not using real butter is the problem?

Its driving me nuts.

I just don't know what to do, so tips and advice would be good and maybe some really good, tried and tested vegetarian and vegan cake recipes (we like chocolate cake, orange cake, lemon cake, vanilla cake, we just like cake)!

Please, please help!

[catnip]

This recipe is pretty fool-proof. www.chooseveg.com/vegan-chocolate-cake.asp

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by tireesix

My girls are allergic to cows milk, so the ingredients we use are soya spread (if anyone knows the Pure brand its the yellow one), caster sugar, eggs, SR flour.

What about baking soda or baking powder? You need something to cause it to rise. Eggs will help it hold its structure but they won't cause the cake to rise.

[lovepiggie]

This is kind of a weird suggestion, but a similar thing happened to me. I kept trying to bake vegan cupcakes, and they all were flat... It made me very sad.

Then my husband realized the kettle was on the stove top over the place where it lets heat out (the vent thing...) causing the oven to get too hot, and my cupcakes to fall. So we moved the kettle, and voila! Perfect cupcakes :P

[Lydiah]

Baking powder gets old and loses its effectiveness. Maybe your baking powder is old.

[mumkimum]

One of the best vegan cake recipes I've made used white vinegar and oil (and your other regular cake ingredients). I believe I found it on vegweb, though I'm sure there are lots of other similar ones (I've since lost this specific recipe, otherwise I'd pass it on, believe me). Look for something like that perhaps. The cakes I made with the vinegar rose quite a bit.

[Jadzia]

Originally Posted by tireesix

soya spread (if anyone knows the Pure brand its the yellow one)

I don't know that brand, but many margarine spreads are not supposed to be used for baking. I would check the package to see what it says.

Earth Balance or Smart Balance is a great brand that can be used for baking.

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by mumkimum

One of the best vegan cake recipes I've made used white vinegar and oil (and your other regular cake ingredients). I believe I found it on vegweb, though I'm sure there are lots of other similar ones (I've since lost this specific recipe, otherwise I'd pass it on, believe me). Look for something like that perhaps. The cakes I made with the vinegar rose quite a bit.

Vinegar definitely helps with rising if you use baking soda.