Full question
I'm curious. Why is the baking soda added, as a final ingredient, mixed with water, almost as an afterthought? Why isn't the baking soda simply added to the dry ingredients? What would happen if the baking soda were added in the slightly more traditional manner of combining it with the flour and almond meal?
Our answer
Nigella's Honey Cake With Dates And Apples is a moist, rich cake. The texture is not sponge-like, but the recipe does include some bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to give the cake a little lift and not-too-dense texture.
The bicarbonate of soda is mixed with a little warm water and then added to the cake batter. This ensures that the bicarbonate of soda is activated quickly and working as soon as the cake goes into the oven. However, it also means that you do need to transfer the cake batter to the prepared springform pan and bake immediately. So make sure that you have heated the oven in advance and prepared the springform pan. You may be able to sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda together first, before whisking in the other dry ingredients. But it may change how quickly the leavening acts and may slightly affect the texture of the finished cake.
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