Making Cinnamon And Almond Cake

Our answer

NIgella's Cinnamon And Almond Cake (from NIGELLISSIMA) is a gluten- and dairy-free cake that is made with olive oil, ground almonds (almond meal) and whisked egg whites. It is slightly unusual to hear of the cake tasting "eggy" as egg whites are flavourless and this taste is usually associated with egg yolks. The cake should be damp and moist and taste of almonds. It could be that the cake was not quite baked enough; it should be set on top and a cake tester should come out clean, or with the odd cake crumb on it, and not raw batter.

Normally the eggs would be UK large eggs, though for this recipe, for ease, Nigella suggests using pasteurised egg whites from a carton (unless you have a good use for 8 egg yolks). One egg white should be 2 tablespoons or 30g. So, 8 egg whites would be 240ml (1 cup) or 240g. The amount of almond essence is described as a few drops as it can be quite strong (and also varies by brand) and is slightly subject to taste. So we would suggest using no more than 1/8 teaspoon and possibly less, and it is difficult to give this as a weight.