HELP!!
The office has been running a cake baking completion for several months, we have had cake iced with the company logo, a cake with a world map on marking our offices, a cake in the shape of a ships (we are in shipping), as well a 'normal' cakes with stars, stripes, bows and frills.
Now my turn to make a cake.
I have never made a cake.
I've never done any cooking, ever.
Toast and baked beans are close to the top of my culinary ability.
Corned beef hash really is the top of my ability as sometimes it's edible, other times it's not.
Oh yes to add to that my facilities are limited. I have a basic kitchen, it does not contain a food mixer, a microwave or cake tins.
Nor, without a visit to the supermarket does it contain grease proof paper, sugar, flour, eggs, a whisk, baking powder, or any of the other ingredients that cakes seem to need.
I've been looking through recipes on t'web, what they are ALL missing is the 'how to' and also amounts
Here is an example
1. For the cake: preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and flour a 25cm bundt tin.
Grease and flour - what does this mean ?
a bundt tin - A what ?
2. Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest until pale and thick. Beating the lemon zest will help draw out the oil making the cake lovely and lemony.
"Cream the butter" does this mean mix it ? How ?
Lemon zest - is the the rind of lemons ?
"Beat the lemon zest" with a hammer ? or do I need a lemon zest beating device
"Draw out the oil" ok so if I squash it will I get the oil of lemons (I thought it was juice)
3. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. If the mixture threatens to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour to stabilise it.
Whoa - define 'curdle' how will I know ?
add flour to stabilise - again how will I know its stable ?
Can anyone point me in the direction of a recipe for a cake that has all the instructions, including a kit list at the start as well as a list of ingredients and amounts.
The office has been running a cake baking completion for several months, we have had cake iced with the company logo, a cake with a world map on marking our offices, a cake in the shape of a ships (we are in shipping), as well a 'normal' cakes with stars, stripes, bows and frills.
Now my turn to make a cake.
I have never made a cake.
I've never done any cooking, ever.
Toast and baked beans are close to the top of my culinary ability.
Corned beef hash really is the top of my ability as sometimes it's edible, other times it's not.
Oh yes to add to that my facilities are limited. I have a basic kitchen, it does not contain a food mixer, a microwave or cake tins.
Nor, without a visit to the supermarket does it contain grease proof paper, sugar, flour, eggs, a whisk, baking powder, or any of the other ingredients that cakes seem to need.
I've been looking through recipes on t'web, what they are ALL missing is the 'how to' and also amounts
Here is an example
1. For the cake: preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and flour a 25cm bundt tin.
Grease and flour - what does this mean ?
a bundt tin - A what ?
2. Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest until pale and thick. Beating the lemon zest will help draw out the oil making the cake lovely and lemony.
"Cream the butter" does this mean mix it ? How ?
Lemon zest - is the the rind of lemons ?
"Beat the lemon zest" with a hammer ? or do I need a lemon zest beating device
"Draw out the oil" ok so if I squash it will I get the oil of lemons (I thought it was juice)
3. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. If the mixture threatens to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour to stabilise it.
Whoa - define 'curdle' how will I know ?
add flour to stabilise - again how will I know its stable ?
Can anyone point me in the direction of a recipe for a cake that has all the instructions, including a kit list at the start as well as a list of ingredients and amounts.
- cheated a bit and got all the bits in a box from Waitrose - Delia's Classic Christmas Cake - you have to syringe (?) it full of brandy and it smells lovely (probably tastes like sh1te)!
how fat is everyone now? 
