Can I Make A Layer Version Of The Pear, Pistachio And Rose Cake?

Our answer

Nigella's Pear, Pistachio And Rose Cake is a moist gluten-free cake that has an Eastern influence with pistachio nuts and rosewater. The cake itself is slightly deeper than the regular sponge layer of a layer cake and needs to be baked in a springform pan. You could try slicing through the centre of the cake and filling it, though as the cake is gluten free it tends to be more tender and it will be a bit difficult to slice and lift off a top layer in one piece.

Otherwise, you could bake two cakes separately and trim the tops down slightly to make two layers or even make 1.5x the cake batter and split it between two springform pans to make two layers. The baking time would be shorter, around 30-40 minutes. For a filling we don't think that a traditional buttercream is ideal for this type of cake but maybe a filling of mascarpone, or mascarpone lightened with a little whipped cream would go well, or you could try a cream cheese frosting, such as the one from the Chocolate Guinness Cake or the Red Velvet Cupcakes. However, please note that we have not tried any of these combinations for the cake ourselves, so are unable to guarantee the results.