Full question
Hi I'm planning to make Nigella's vegan Dark And Sumptuous Chocolate Cake for a party where a few vegans will be present. However the party is Mexican themed so I'm hoping to tie this in! I have looked at non vegan Mexican cakes and they suggest adding some chilli powder and cinnamon to the mix. Any idea how much I'd need for a cake this size? Also, shall I remove the coffee powder as the flavours might clash? Thanks!
Our answer
Nigella's Dark And Sumptuous Chocolate Cake (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is moist and intensely flavoured and a wonderful cake for both vegans and non-vegans. It may be possible to add some Mexican influenced flavourings and cinnamon is often paired with chocolate. Nigella's Christmas-Spiced Chocolate Cake has cinnamon added and uses 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, so we would suggest using 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons for the Dark And Sumptuous cake.
Chilli powder often contains a mixture of ground chillies, garlic, cumin and oregano so may not be the ideal choice for a cake and you may prefer to use something that is made from pure ground chillies, such as cayenne pepper or ground Aleppo pepper. These can vary a lot in heat so you are likely to need between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon, but it is probably better to err on the cautious side if you are not sure. Coffee is often used in chilli con carne so we suspect that it would be still fine to use for the cake, though you could use hot water instead if you prefer. However we would mention that as we have not tested the cake with these spices, we are unable to guarantee the results.
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