Giant Cupcake

Our answer

Most of the giant cupcake moulds or pans (the type that comes in 2 parts, one for the bottom and one for the top) require batter equivalent to that used for a 23cm (9-inch) round 2-layer cake, though a 20cm (8-inch) 2-layer cake recipe will usually work too (the finished cake may be slightly shorter). Nigella has a Buttermilk Birthday Cake recipe on p210 of Domestic Goddess which is usually good for shaped birthday cake pans, though for the cupcake mould you may need to make a double quantity of the batter and make any leftover batter into regular cupcakes. The Devil's Food Cake in Kitchen (p253) would also be worth trying (you should only need one quantity of batter).

One of the problems with the cupcake mould is that the top and bottom sections of the cupcake will bake at different times so if the two parts of the pan are joined together then it may be a good idea to bake the top and bottom separately. The instructions with the mould should give an indication of cooking time. Fill the moulds just over 2/3rd full of cake batter to allow room for the batter to rise.

Silicone moulds should release fairly easily but as a precaution we would suggest lightly greasing the mould and dusting with a little flour (or cocoa for chocolate cakes).

The top and bottom need to be trimmed to level then sandwiched together with frosting but if you are transporting the cake it may be an idea to insert a couple of woodenn skewers into base cake and use these to help secure the top part on to the base - make sure they are removed before the cake is eaten.