Perhaps my creaming technique is flawed? Correct creaming of the fat and sugar incorporates a lot of air into the mixture; it may seem obvious, but bubbles are essential for a light and fluffy texture. During creaming, bubbles form around the sugar crystals and become coated in a film of fat to form a foam. The fat shouldn’t be too cold or hard, and caster sugar is better as it has a larger surface area which means more bubbles. As I don’t have a manservant to complete this task for me, I have to resort to an electric whisk.

“But to stir butter and sugar is the hardest part of cake making. Have this done by a manservant. His strength will accomplish it in a short time.”

(Eliza Leslie, 1857)

Maybe the eggs are the wrong size? Eggs are vital to prevent the collapse of bubbles during baking; they also add liquid to the mixture. This liquid is mostly water, which turns to steam when cooking, inflating the bubbles further. Egg proteins form a layer around the air bubbles, coagulating when heated to form a protective layer. The eggs need to be the right size though, too much liquid and the cake mix may be too heavy to rise.