Cracked Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Asked by Shina_zaid. Answered on 14th February 2015

Full question

I've always made your recipes and all of it turns out great. But I made the Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes and the tops cracked a lot, and it doesn't look much like a cupcake at all. But taste wise is very good.

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes (from Domestic Goddess) are good for Valentine's Day as they are a chocolate and cherry sponge base with a rich chocolate ganache icing. As the icing is quite thick it should cover up the cracked tops of the cakes.

Usually if cakes and cupcakes have a cracked top it is due to the oven being too hot. Nigella's oven tempertaures are for conventional ovens so will need adjusting for fan and convection ovens (your handbook should give instructions). Also check the shelf that you are cooking the cupcakes on. They need to be baked on the centre shelf of a conventional oven. For fan ovens the shelf is not quite so important but again handbooks normally give a guide.