Full question
I'm about to make Nigella's Chocolate Fudge Cake in two 8" pans as per the recipe. The recipe states 50-55 mins cooking time. This seems rather long for a standard pan size (8" x 2"), so I'd appreciate it if you'd confirm the cooking time, and also confirm what the depth of the 8" pan should be. Thank you.
Our answer
Nigella's Chocolate Fudge Cake from (NIGELLA BITES) is a chocolate sponge layer cake with a rich chocolate frosting. The batter itself is quite liquid so although the baking time looks long, it is longer than average because of the consistency of the batter. However, if you are concerned you can check the cake earlier, particularly if you have a fan or convection oven, which can cook more quickly even with the temperature adjustment. But check that the cake looks properly set on top before you open the oven door as if you try to open the door too early the centre of the cake will sink. When the cake is done, it will be firm on top, shrinking away slightly from the sides of the tin and a cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Most 20cm/8-inch sandwich tins (cake pans) are 5cm/2 inches deep and this is the depth that we would suggest using. The batter should fill the pan by around two-thirds.
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