Full question
My Spruced-Up Vanilla Cake appears to be burnt on the outside but raw inside. I made it in my new Magimix. I cooked for 50 minutes and it rose and appeared to start to burn. A skewer came out clean and it came easily out of the bundt pan. It has now cooled and is solid and raw in many parts. What have I done wrong? I used full fat yogurt, could that be it?
Our answer
NIgella's Spruced-Up Vanilla Cake (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is great for any time of year and in the summer can be served with mixed berries and whipped cream. The cake is not as airy as a regular sponge cake, but has a closer texture with a fine crumb. The cake should be made with a hand-held or freestanding mixer, using the creaming method. If it was made with a food processor (as a Magimix as mentioned) then there is a risk that the cake batter was overmixed, which would mean that the texture could become a bit rubbery and could make the cake appear undercooked.
The cake batter is quite liquid and as the bundt pan is quite large the baking time can vary from oven to oven. So the time of 45 minutes to 1 hour is a guideline rather than definitive, and the cake can take up to 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook through, particularly in a differently-shaped bundt pan. The full fat yogurt could also have contributed slightly to the cake colouring quickly as it baked, though it could also be that your oven runs a little hot and also some fan ovens cook more quickly, even with a temperature adjustment. It may be worth reducing the oven temperature by an extra 10°C (on top of the usual 20°C temperature reduction) if it is a fan oven.
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