Why Is My Rosemary Remembrance Cake Heavy?

Our answer

Nigella's Rosemary Rememberance Cake (from FEAST) is a madeira-style cake that incorporates a rosemary-scented home-made apple purée. This style of cake is not as open and light as a Victoria sponge, but it should not be "claggy". We are assuming that the baking powder was not left out by mistake?

If the cake is very heavy and wet then it usually means that it has not baked for long enough. When the cake is baked it should be risen, firm and golden on top and a cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean. It is also important that the oven is properly heated by the time the cake batter is ready, as for this type of cake you do need instant heat on the base of the loaf pan to help to cook the cake through. If the cake is tough then it is also possible that the cake batter was, in fact, processed for too long. If this is a possible concern then process the apples, butter, sugar and eggs together first. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a bowl, then add this to the processor and pulse a few times until just combined.