Full question
Love the Nigella birthday Brownies recipe, but every time I make them I have to cut about an inch off all the way round the slab as it’s dry. If I cook the brownies less, the middle is undercooked ( I know they are supposed to be squidgy) but the edges are just right, but more baking time and the middle is perfect but the edges are dry so I don’t end up with a full compliment of brownies! Any tips? Thanks!
Our answer
Nigella's Brownies (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) are extremely popular as an alternative to a traditional birthday cake or as a dessert or anytime treat. Nigella likes her brownies extra squidgy, so the recipe is designed to achieve this by baking the brownies at 180c/160c Fan/350F. Nigella uses a rectangular metal pan to bake the brownies. If you are using a pan made of Pyrex or other ovenproof materials then this will affect how the brownies bake and it is difficult to advise on changes.
We appreciate that the preferred texture of brownies is quite personal. It may help you to turn the oven down slightly, to 170c/150c Fan/325F. If you have a fan oven then this may particularly help, as fan ovens can cook faster even after the initial standard temperature adjustment. You may need to bake for very slightly longer, but only until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out with damp crumbs attached (but not raw cake batter) as the brownies will continue to firm up as they cool. However, we would emphasise that we have not tried baking the brownies at this temperature ourselves, so are unable to guarantee the results.
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