Why Has My Chocolate Fudge Cake Sponge Formed A Peak On Top During Baking?

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Fudge Cake (from NIGELLA BITES) has rich chocolate sponge layers. The cake batter is quite liquid, which means the baking time is a little longer than for some sponges but helps to give a moist cake with a fine crumb. A small peak in the centre of the cake can be quite normal and the tops of the cakes can be trimmed flat using a serrated knife (keep the trimmings as a cook's treat!).

Usually if a cake has baked with a large peak in the centre it is because the oven temperature is slightly too high. The outside of the cake bakes quickly, pushing up the mixture in the centre to a peak. Fan ovens sometimes give peaked or domed cakes as the forcing of hot air around the cake will cause it to bake more quickly, even with the oven temperature adjusted. If you have a fan or convection oven then you may want to try adjusting the temperature down by an extra 10c. If you are using a regular oven then you may need to use a slightly lower shelf setting. Some people like to use baking strips, whch are special pieces of material that are soaked in water and then wrapped around the outside of the cake tins before baking. The strips can help to give cakes a flat top, but also bear in mind that sponges will take longer to bake if cake strips are used.