How to get cakes to rise?

There are 3 main types of leavening (substances or processes that basically make your baked item rise): biological (i.e. yeast, sourdough, beer etc.), chemical (baking powder, baking soda, baking ammonia), and mechanical (i.e. creaming and whisking while making the dough/batter). For more info please follow the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavening_agent

The reason why you experience absolutely no rise in your baked goods may be:

- the inaccuracy of your actual recipe (unlikely, for you mentioned that you used a large number of them)

- not using the right amount of chemical or biological leavener (quite unlikely, for you sound like a person who can read and understand recipes)

- using bad-quality leaveners (quite possible, but those usually have a nice shelf life as long as they are stored properly)

- not understanding the method described in the recipe properly and interpreting it your own way (still unlikely, unless you are exaggerating saying every single product you made hasn't risen in the oven).

- your oven (check the oven temperature with a different thermometer)

Let somebody with better baking experiences watch/help you making and baking something. Try a reliable foolproof recipe (no offense, please :)) The reasons of your misfortune might get obvious.

Good luck!

what tep oven do u use i always use 170-180 for about 35 mins for asponge and 20 for muffins x

mix dry items together at the last moment mix in wet quickly and get in oven while still bubbling-

and don't open oven door until times up

Yeast

You're probably not doing it right or not using enough yeast/

Use self-raising flour and baking powder