Shaped Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Asked by TanyaPurdey. Answered on 7th November 2016

Full question

I want to make the Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake for my son's 10th birthday. I am using 2 tins, one a number 1 and the other a number 0. Apparently I need to use a 4 egg recipe for the size of the tin. Do you think I could just quadruple this recipe and divide it between the tins? Would I double the cooking time? Many thanks!

Our answer

Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (from FEAST) makes a 2-layer cake with a 20cm/8-inch diameter. Most shaped cake tins, particularly US ones, are sized to fit a 2-layer cake made using a boxed cake mix and these are also usually 20cm/8 inches. So we wonder if a single recipe quantity of the Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake batter will fit one of the number-shaped tins. If you are not sure then we would suggest making a double quantity of the cake batter and have both tins greased and ready. If you find that the double quantity is enough to divide between the two tins (the tins should be half to two-thirds full of batter) then you can bake the two cakes together. If the batter is only enough for the one tin then bake one of the cakes and make a fresh batch of batter for the second.

Cakes in shaped cake tins are usually baked at 180c/350F for 35-45 minutes. The cakes should be risen, firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean. For cakes with edges (such as the number "1" shape) the corners can cook more quickly so you may want to carefully rotate the pan in the oven after 25 minutes baking to help the cake to bake more evenly.