Birthday Custard Sponge in a Mixer

Our answer

It is possible to make most of Nigella's cakes with a mixer rather than a food processor. You could also use a bowl, a wooden spoon and plenty of elbow grease. The advantage of using a food processor is that the cake can be mixed quickly, all at once.

If you are going to make a cake using a mixer then you will need to follow the slightly more traditional method of making cakes. First sift or mix together the flour and raising agents, and for the Custard Sponge add the custard powder too. Set this mixture to one side. Beat together the butter and sugar with the mixer until they are well combined, pale and looking slightly fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, a little at a time. If the mixture looks like it is curdling, add a tablespoon or two of the flour mixture. Once the eggs have been incorporated, fold in the flour mixture and any milk, if needed. The batter is then ready to go into the prepared cake pans.

If the cake recipe requires nuts to be ground in a food processor, such as for Nigella's Coffee Walnut Cake (from Kitchen), then generally it is better to use a food processor. You could chop the nuts by hand, but you would need to do this very, very finely.