Welcome to Kitchen Queries, where the nigella.com team will answer your cooking or food related questions.  We’d love you to submit some of your recipe problems, dilemmas or queries for us to get our teeth into!

Please note, we are only able to answer questions selected for publication and aren't able to enter into personal correspondence.

• Wedding cupcake decorating crisis (2)

  Hi, I am getting married in May, and my bridesmaid's and I all love baking so we're going to make our own cupcakes instead of getting a wedding cake. My other half-to-be is not keen on royal icing, but we're not sure what kind of icing would look good, but also keep ok out of the fridge all day giving that it might be really hot. Any ideas?

  Posted by jojoscot. Answered on 1st Feb 2011 at 12.00

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• Melting Plastic Wrap/clingfilm - Loaf Cake

  From the Feast cookbook - The Chocolate Loaf Cake requires plastic wrap to line the loaf pan - and in fact says 'Don't worry, it won't melt'... Seriously? It totally ruined what promised to be a wonderful cake, when the plastic wrap totally melted INTO and around the cake. What's with that? I used Glad Cling Wrap, microwave safe. Thanks!  

  Dearest Nigella, I am a humungous fan of yours and I was recently making some food from your book "Feast". I enjoyed the chocolate cake hall of fame but I must ask...WHY ON EARTH DID YOU TELL US TO PUT CLING FILM IN THE CAKE TIN?!! The cling film just submersified right into my lovely quadruple chocolate loaf cake! But anyways I really do love you heaps Love Stephana Bruca

  Posted by MoniqueP. Answered on 31st Jan 2011 at 12.00

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• Chocolate Fudge Cake Collapse

  Help - what did I do wrong? My daughter requested that I make your CFC for her 32nd birthday last Saturday and it was a disaster! I followed the recipe in Nigella Bites and first stumbled when I realised that the mixture could not possibly fit into my 2 already prepared 20cm sandwich tins - there was no mention of depth and mine certainly were not deep enough! I immediately dashed to our village hardware shop and purchased 2 x 20cm non stick tins which were deeper than my old ones. Success - mixture filled tins with room to spare. Cooked for 55 mins and tested - cakes cooked, then cooled firstly in tins as instructed and then after 15 mins turned out on to wire rack. Fortunately the filling was ready because with great aplomb my cakes subsided! Cracks (a bit like those during an earthquake!) appeared in each cake and slowly each one broke up! With less than 15 mins to spare before the entire family arrived, I stuck together this chocolate mess with the filling and tried to smooth over the cracks to make this birthday cake look edible. To be frank it looked like a very young person's first attempt at making a cake! I was gutted. I am a reasonably accomplished cook and have over the year made many birthday cakes - forts, hot air balloon & basket, treasure chests etc but this CFC defeated me! Why did this happen - did it rise to much and become unstable? I have asked several of my friends for suggestioons on what may have gone wrongr but it remains a mystery. Finally I have to say that despite looking awful it did taste wonderful - so I would like to "have another go" at making this cake using your recipe but without having another repeat performance of this disaster! Many thanks.-

  Posted by j714714j. Answered on 30th Jan 2011 at 12.00

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