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!

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• Red Velvet Cake

  In Nigella's recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes (in Kitchen), it says that the recipe will make enough batter for 2 x 25cm cake tins. How long would you suggest I cook them for?

  Posted by PippaElsey. Answered on 24th Jul 2012 at 12.00

  From the nigella team:

  It is possible to bake the Red velvet Cupcakes as a 2-layer cake instead. Generally layer cakes take around 25 minutes to bake, but as the oven temperature of 170c/325F/Gas mk 3 is slightly lower than usual, it could take a few minutes longer. We would suggest carefully checking the cake layers after around 22 minutes as ovens do vary, then again at 3 minute intervals.

  The baking time can also be affected by the depth if the tin, so if yours are deep (over 5cm/2inches) then you may find the cake will take a couple of minutes longer to bake. The cake layers should be firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean. Cool the cake layers in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. We would also suggest that the base of the cake tins are lined with baking parchment (parchment paper) and are thoroughly greased so that the cakes come out of the tins easily.

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