Madeira Cake

Picture of Madeira Cake.

Ingredients

  • 450 g plain flour
  • 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 350 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 350 g caster sugar
  • 6 eggs, medium, beaten
  • juice of one lemon, approx 2 tablespoons

Method

First preheat the oven to 160 C and grease a deep, 23 cm/9 " round cake tin. Line the base and sides with a double thickness of greaseproof paper.

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Dice the butter and add to the mixing bowl together with the sugar, eggs and lemon juice. Stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until they are well combined. Then beat the mixture with an electric whisk until smooth and glossy.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for between 1 hour and 45 minutes and 2 hours. If the cake starts to burn, cover the top loosely with brown paper or foil. When the cake is done, it should be springy when lightly pressed in the centre. Alternatively, a clean skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the paper and leave to cool completely.

A madiera cake will traditionally have peaks and crack on the surface. If you wish to ice the cake, then it will be necessary to first level the top using a sharp knife.