Cutting Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake

Our answer

Nigella's Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake With Margarita Cream is a gluten free cake and the lack of gluten will make the cake more tender. However the cake should not crumble in the way described, the cake should be slightly damp and brownie-like. We suspect that the cake may have been baked for slightly too long which would make it slightly dry and more likely to crumble.

Using whole eggs is correct and these should be whisked with the sugar until very pale and mousse-like. Also when you lift the beaters any mixture on the beaters should fall back and hold a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two. When you bake the cake it will puff up a little and form a crust on top, but the underneath should still look a little wobbly and if you insert a cake tester into the centre it should come out with damp crumbs clinging to it. The cake will continue to set as it cools in the tin. Once completely cold, unspring the cake and leave it on the base of the tin. Cut with a sharp, heavy knife and lift the slices with a spatula or palette knife. The cake is also firmer when it is chilled, so you could also refrigerate the cake, cut the slices while cold and then leave at room temperature for about an hour before serving.