Size Of Pan For Forgotten Pudding

Asked by skewp. Answered on 18th March 2016

Full question

Nigella uses a "Swiss roll pan" in the Forgotten Pudding recipe but there is no such thing in the USA. We do have jelly roll pans but those are available in several different sizes. The dimensions of the pan would obviously affect the thickness of the meringue so I hope you can tell me what dimensions are contemplated by the recipe. Thanks very much.

Our answer

Nigella's Forgotten Pudding recipe (from NIGELLA EXPRESS here and on Nigella.com here) is a soft marshmallowy meringue that is cooked overnight in a cooling oven. It is baked in a Swiss roll tin, which is a baking sheet with a deeper 2.5cm (1-inch) rim. In the UK the sizes do vary quite a bit but are approximately 23 x 33cm (9 x 13 inches).

US jelly roll pans are similar in design to a Swiss roll tin, with a deeper rim than a cookie sheet. Again the sizes vary but are usually around 26 x 39cm (10 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches). Although slightly larger than the UK tin, the jelly roll pan will still give a reasonable thickness of meringue, and as the meringue is cooked in a cool oven there is little risk of the meringue drying out. You could also use a US quarter sheet pan, but as the depth of the rim can vary you need to check that it has a depth of 1 inch or more.