Baking Beginner

[Nawab]

I am not new to baking. I often make cakes using other people's recipes, not mine.
Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. That's why I am asking these questions.

Flour and eggs are the structure-building ingredients of a cake.
Sugar and fats are the tenderizing/softening ingredients.
I think these are the main functions of these ingredients.
That's what I know so far.
2.Anyone who knows how to bake or specializes in cake making, can you provide me with a basic sponge cake recipe using butter? Also, please specify the amount of oil if substituting butter with oil.

2.When I search Google for recipes, they often mention the commonly used ingredient ratio in cake making as 1-2-3-4. That means: one part fat, two parts sugar, three parts flour, and four eggs.

If we add milk or curd (or similar liquid ingredients) to increase the moistness of the cake, how much liquid should I add to maintain the correct balance between flour, eggs, fat, and sugar?

3.if we don't know whether we should add a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda, how can we figure out which one to use? Also, how do we know how much to add?

4.For baking beginners, we usually start by making a basic sponge cake that can be used for all common cakes. When making other types of cakes, how do we know the correct ingredient quantities to achieve the right batter consistency based on our knowledge?

5.What happens to the final product when the quantity of ingredients like flour, eggs, fat, or sugar increases or decreases in the cake batter?

6.How do we know whether we should use whole eggs, only egg whites, or only yolks while making cakes?
7. Which cake mixing method I should use creaming butter and sugar or beating egg white.if we use oil instead of butter what is the first step.

[Tropicalsenior]

One of the best sources for all this information is the book Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher. I have a PDF copy if you would like it. Just PM me your email address.

[curls]

I 2nd the recommendation for Corriher’s “Bakewise” and also recommend Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s “The Cake Bible”.