Fairy Cakes question (Nigella's)

[TsarChasm]

I've just made some for the first time since everyone here said they were good.

I agree with that btw but some of mine are a bit overdone. Seems mine only need about 11/12 mins instead of 20. Did you find the cooking time recommended a bit long?

Also, why do mine rise into little mountain shapes with pointy nipples on top insead of a nice even top? Is that my oven?

I have no idea why my cakes never rise 'straight' either, I've always had mountain shapes and I've used loads of ovens over the years!

Mine alway rise like mountains, I just cut the tops of to make them flat if I am doing poncy icing

mine take the full time but i have a slow (fan) oven. just slice the mountain peak bits off bbefore you ice them. then you can nibble away at the cut off bits without feeling guilty

Pointy mountains here too - very useful for butterfly cakes though, can't use flatties for those!

even nigella cuts the tops off them. i normally do them for 20 mins in a gas oven.

Ah, I'm happy now that I know mine aren't the only mountainous fairy cakes. Hm actually mine's a fan oven and that usually does mean a slightly shorter time.

It's been ages since I made any cakes; thought I'd lost the knack there for a minute. I mean if you can't do a fairy cake you're in trouble aren't you?!

Definitely in trouble. My last batch erupted - it was like the uncooked middle had become superheated, oozed out of the top of the cake, then cooked. So there was this funny, different coloured oozy bit coming out of the top of the cake. And they were undercooked (NOT a fan oven). And a week before that my Yorkshire puddings had no bottoms, that was weird. Either the oven is malfunctioning or I am.