What quantities of ingredients do I need for my cake tin?

How much mixture do I need for this tin, what recipe and quantities should I use?

These questions are regularly asked and it is very difficult to give a straight answer as there are so many variants, size, shape and height of tin for example, hopefully this chart will help?

As a general rule, measurement of ingredients for round tins are the same for petal, heart, hexagonal and octagonal. 

Square tins however need more mixture, so for a 6" square use the 7" measurements, 7" square tin the 8" and so on.

Madeira Cake Ingredients for different sized round cake tins all 3" deep

Here's what to use;	6" (1200ml)	7" (1800ml)	8" (2100ml)	9" (3000ml)	10" (4000ml)	12" (4500ml)
Butter, softened	150g	226g	276g	376g	500g	560g
Caster Sugar	200g	300g	366g	500g	660g	750g
Vanilla Essence	1 tsp	1½ tsp	2 tsp	2½ tsp	3 tsp	3½ tsp
Medium Eggs (53g)	3  (159g)	5  (265g)	6  (318g)	8  (424g)	10  (530g)	11  (583g)
Plain Flour, sieved	225g	338g	412g	566g	745g	845g
Baking Powder	1½ tsp	2½ tsp	3 tsp	4 tsp	5 tsp	6 tsp
Milk	3 tbsp	4 tbsp	5 tbsp	7 tbsp	9 tbsp	11 tbsp
Approx Baking Times	35-40 min	45-50 min	60-65 min	70-80 min	90-100 min	110-120 min

Approximate baking times are based on;

Pre heated oven 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3


Here's how to make it;

Line your tin with greaseproof paper and sieve the flour and baking powder ready for later.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy before adding the eggs gradually, continue beating until it is all incorporated. This is best done in a mixer or with a hand blender.
Now you can add the vanilla essence, flour and baking powder.
The milk is added at the end, add enough to make the batter loose, so it will fall off a spoon.

Tip the batter into the cake tin and make sure that the top is smooth before baking.

Test that your cake is ready with a cake tester or skewer, insert in to the middle of your cake, if it comes out clean it is ready.
Baking times are only a rough guide as all ovens are different, so always keep an eye on your cake so as not to over or under bake it.

Leave the cake to cool for a while before removing it from the tin, peel off the paper and leave on a wire rack until completely cool.

It will keep for a few days in an air tight container or alternatively, wrap it in plastic and freeze, for up to a couple of weeks, celebration cakes are much more easily decorated from frozen.

I hope you find this information useful and it helps you achieve the perfect cake!

Who Doesn't Like Coconut Ice?

This pink and white coconut ice is delicious and needs no baking: what colour will you make yours?

Here's what I used:

• 397g can condensed milk
• 350g desiccated coconut
• 350g icing sugar
• few drops vanilla extract
• pink food colour
• 23cm x 20cm x 4cm deep tin

Here's how I made it:

Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl before adding the desiccated coconut, icing sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well with a wooden spoon, spatula or your hands as I do, a bit messy but quick and effective.

Half the mixture into a lined tin and press down flat, damp fingers work well for this task.

Line your tin with greaseproof or baking parchment, this prevents the mixture from sticking and eases the lifting of the coconut ice from the tin ready for cutting.

Add a few drops of your chosen colour to the bowl with the remaining mixture. I chose pink for this batch but it looks great in bright green too. You can use whatever you like and be creative.

Spoon the coloured mixture onto the the first layer and press down evenly smoothing the top.

Cover loosely with cling film and leave overnight in a cool place to dry out and set firm.

Lift from the tin and cut into about 40 pieces before storing in an airtight container. It will last for up to 3 weeks if kept cool. I don't think you will need to test this out cos it won't last that long!

I hope you like this recipe, I've tried a few different ones and this is undoubtedly the easiest and the best tasting yet! It makes a lovely gift that is always well received or of course you can just spoil yourself with a special treat.

Enjoy!

Hands off it's mine!

Colour free coconut ice!

First layer in place!

Pink coloured coconut ice!

Top layer done!

It's Only Fudge!

My Favourite: Creamy, salted caramel flavoured fudge. What's your favourite flavour?

Oh no, have to eat it now!

Here's what I used:

• 100g butter
• 550g demerara sugar
• 200g golden syrup
• 350ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes

Here's how I made it:

Simmering!

You must leave it to set!

Cut into small pieces, or not!

Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and cream in a medium sized high sided, heavy based pan.
It needs to be a high sided pan as the mixture will double in volume when simmering.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved then simmer over a medium to low heat until it reached 100°C, stirring occasionally.
Turn it down if it starts to stick, you don't want it to burn.

Now stir more regularly until the temperature reaches 116°C.
What ever you do, don't leave it!

Take off the heat and add the vanilla extract and sea salt.
The better the quality of the vanilla the better the flavour!

Give the mixture a  good beat with a wooden spoon or spatula for a couple of minutes until it thickens and loses it's shine.

Pour into a lined 23x23cm or if you prefer, 9" square tin.
Line your tin with greaseproof or baking parchment, to prevent the mixture from sticking and so the fudge is easy to lift out when cooled.

When it has started to firm up, after about an hour, cut into small squares and leave until completely cold.
Don't be tempted to remove it from the tin at this stage, it won't be set enough.

When set it is ready to test, but be warned, you may need a couple of pieces just to be sure it's up to standard!

It will have a longer shelf life if you keep it refrigerated. Not that it's going to last long enough to go off!

See how long you can resist?

It is possible to add other ingredients to this fudge to spice it up a bit, such as cherries, raisins, other dried fruit or even nuts.
What will you add to yours?

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!