Should The Almond And Orange Blossom Cake Rise During Baking?

Our answer

Nigella's Almond And Orange Blossom Cake (from HOW TO EAT is a delicate, tender cake that is particularly good when seved as a dessert with some seasonal fruit and a dollop of cream. The recipe does not contain any raising agent, so the cake will not be as light or as spongy as a regular layer cake.

We are not sure if the cake was made with regular wheat flour or in gluten-free form with rice flour. The cake with rice flour may sink a little as it cools, as there is no gluten in the cake, so may not look quite as deep as the cake in the photograph. But it should still be damp, fragrant and delicious. As the cake does not contain any baking powder or bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), you need to cream the butter and sugar really thoroughly to incorporate air. It is also important to note that the butter should be soft enough to beat, but not so soft that it is almost melting. You should be able to press the butter with your finger and leave an indent, but not have the butter completely squidging underneath your finger. If the butter is too soft then it will start to melt as it is beaten with the sugar and will not hold air. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture has become very pale (almost white) and looks slightly fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of flour and beat until the egg is thoroughly incorporated beofre adding any more egg. Finally, gently fold in the rest of the ingredients to retain as much air as possible before baking.