Chocohotopots Not Molten

Our answer

Nigella's Chocohotopots (from FEAST) are small chocolate pots that should be set on top but gooey underneath. If they are coming out like sponge cakes then they are being baked too long or at a temperature that is slightly too high. As all ovens vary the baking time of 20 minutes can also vary slightly and we would suggest that the pots are checked at 13-15 minutes and removed from the oven as soon as the tops look set and shiny. If you are leaving the pots to cool slightly before serving then bear in mind also that they will continue to set as they stand. The pots should be baked on a middle shelf of the oven or slightly below. It is possible that your oven is running slightly hot, which may not make much difference to larger cakes but to molten centre cakes can affect the baking.

You can check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer, these can be found in cookware stores and are usually inexpensive. Alternatively you can reduce your oven temperature by 10c or 20c and bake the pots in the slightly cooler oven, though we would still suggest checking the pots after 15 minutes of baking to see if they are done. You may also like to try Nigella's Glitzy Chocolate Puddings. These are spongy chocolate puddings that have a gooey chocolate sauce poured over the top.