Can I Make The Cider And 5-Spice Cake In A Pudding Basin?

Our answer

Nigella's Cider And 5-Spice Bundt Cake (from SIMPLY NIGELLA is lighter and more cake-like than a classic sticky gingerbread. It makes a good cake to slice and eat but is also delicious served warm with Salted Caramel Sauce. It is usually made in a 2.5-litre bundt pan. Bundt pans have a tube in the centre that helps the cake to bake more quickly, as well as having decorative shapes.

The closest bowl size found easily is a 2-litre bowl or basin. However, we would warn that the china or porcelain pudding bowls used for steamed sponges and Christmas puddings are not really suitable for baking cakes as they are not designed for high heats. Instead, we would suggest using a heatproof glass bowl. You would need to grease the bowl thoroughly and it may help to line the base with a circle of baking parchment. Don't fill the bowl more than 3/4 full with cake batter. The baking time is difficult to judge but we would guess at around 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check carefully after 1 hour and cover the top of the cake with foil if it is becoming too dark. And please note that as we have not tried the cake in this form, we are unable to guarantee the results. The cooked cake can be reheated and it is easiest to heat individual slices in the microwave using short bursts, until the cake is warm but not scalding hot.