Can I Turn The Chai Muffins Into Cake?

Asked by aplihs. Answered on 1st October 2016

Full question

Hi! I want to do the Chai Muffins and I was wondering if they could be made as a whole cake, instead of muffins, following exactly the same steps? Thank you very much.

Our answer

Nigella's Chai Muffins (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) are muffins flavoured with cinnamon and with almond milk that has been infused with chai tea. Generally muffin mixtures do not convert that well into cake form. This is partly as muffin mixtures have lower proportions of fat and higher levels of liquid in them and will stale more easily, especially when cut. Also muffins often have more leavening as they should rise to a peak and this means that a cake will have a very domed top.

If you were to try to convert the muffin mixture to a cake then it would be best to try this as a loaf cake. The mixture should be enough for a loaf pan measuring approximately 23 x 13 x 7cm (9 x 5 x 3 inches). For larger cakes you will also need to reduce the oven temperature to allow for a longer baking time. We would suggest a temperature of 170°C/325°F and a baking time of approximately 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. However as we have not tried this method ourselves, we regret that we are unable to guarantee the results.