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Hi, for Nigella's Chocolate Orange Cake I would like to halve the recipe to make a small cake as a gift. What size tin would I use? A 10cm diameter springform tin? I think the original is 20cm (if using leavening). Also would I exactly halve all the ingredients? Thank you.
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Nigella's Chocolate Orange Cake (from FEAST) is a gluten-free cake made with thin-skinned oranges that are cooked whole until soft, then blitzed with the other cake ingredients. The cake is usually baked in a 20cm (8-inch) springform pan.
When you halve the ingredients for a round cake, you do not actually halve the diameter of the pan. This is due to the mathematics involved in calculating the volume of cake pans. If you are using exactly half of the quantity of ingredients then you are likely to need a 15cm (6-inch) springform pan. Also, the baking time isn't halved, it is likely to be 45-50 minutes, but check the cake after around 30 minutes, to make sure that the top and edges are not becoming too dark too quickly. If they are then cover the top of the springform pan with foil and bake until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with a few damp crumbs attached (but not uncooked cake batter). Cool the cake completely before trying to remove it from the pan.
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