Baking Honey Cake

Asked by Kurlylou. Answered on 30th September 2020

Full question

How can I tell if the Honey Cake is fully cooked if it’s meant to be sticky in the middle? Presumably testing with a skewer it will still be crumbly?

Honey Cake

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Honey Cake (from FEAST) is a moist, spiced cake that is served with a butterscotch sauce. It is made by the melting method, with golden syrup, so the batter is on the liquid side. The cake needs to be baked so that it is cooked, but still slightly sticky in the middle.

It can be tricky to judge when this type of cake is fully baked, particularly as ovens vary so timings will vary, but it should look set on top and the edges of the cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the cake tin. If you insert a cake tester into the centre of the cake it should come out with just a few damp crumbs of cake attached and not raw cake batter. If the cake tester has traces of raw cake batter on it then return the cake to the oven for a further 5 minutes and then check again. Damp cakes can be a bit more tender, so let the cake cool completely in its tin before you try to remove it.