This easy Madeira cake recipe makes a classic buttery loaf cake with a moist, close crumb and a subtle lemon flavour. Baked in a standard 2lb loaf tin, it's a simple cake that's perfect for slicing and serving with a cup of tea. You might also like my air fryer cherry Madeira cake recipe.
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Quick Summary - Madeira Cake
This is one of my favourite simple loaf cakes because it has a lovely buttery, close-textured crumb without being dry or heavy. Beth (Effortless Foodie)
🕒 Ready In: Prep time - 8 minutes, Baking time 55-60 minutes
👪 Serves: 10
🍽 Calories: 287 per slice
🥣 Main Ingredients: Butter, golden caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, fresh lemon zest and juice, self-raising flour, and plain flour.
👩🍳 Difficulty: Easy
👌 Why this recipe? A simple Madeira loaf cake with a buttery, close-textured crumb and subtle lemon flavour. It uses a combination of self-raising and plain flour and doesn't require ground almonds.
Summarise & Save This Content On
Made with everyday baking ingredients and flavoured with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla, this Madeira loaf cake is firmer than a Victoria sponge but still tender and moist. The characteristic golden crust and crack along the top are all part of a traditional Madeira cake.
My kids love thick slices spread with homemade lemon curd or Nutella.
Love simple cake recipes? Try my easy lardy cake recipe or lemon curd loaf cake next
Jump to:
- Quick Summary - Madeira Cake
- Why you'll love this recipe!
- 5* Reader review
- What is Madeira cake?
- Ingredient notes
- Need to substitute an ingredient?
- Variations
- Make it even better
- How to make simple moist Madeira cake
- Top Tips
- Serving suggestions
- Storage
- Troubleshooting guide
- Madeira cake FAQs
- More loaf cakes to try
- Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Simple loaf tin cake - it's baked in a standard 2lb loaf tin, so there's no need for a special cake tin.
- Moist, close crumb - Madeira cake is firmer than a Victoria sponge but should still be tender rather than dry or heavy.
- Fresh lemon flavour - lemon zest and juice give the cake a subtle citrus flavour without turning it into a lemon drizzle cake.
- No ground almonds - this simple Madeira cake gets its characteristic texture from a combination of self-raising and plain flour.
- Great for baking ahead - the cake keeps well and can also be frozen.
5* Reader review
Made this and it's the best maderia cake I've ever made am going to make Madeira buns
- Marie
What is Madeira cake?
Madeira cake is a traditional British butter cake with a close, firm but tender crumb and a subtle lemon flavour. It's denser than a Victoria sponge, which means it slices neatly without being heavy or dry.
Despite the name, Madeira cake doesn't contain Madeira wine and didn't originate on Madeira. The name is thought to come from the tradition of serving the cake alongside a glass of Madeira wine.
Madeira cake can be baked in a round cake tin, but I like making mine as a Madeira loaf cake because it's easy to slice and perfect for afternoon tea, lunchboxes and everyday baking.
Ingredient notes
You'll need just a handful of everyday baking ingredients to make this simple Madeira cake.
Butter - use softened unsalted butter. It needs to be soft enough to cream easily with the sugar but shouldn't be melted.
Golden caster sugar (superfine sugar) - gives the cake sweetness and a lovely golden colour. Regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) can be used instead.
Eggs - I use three large eggs. Bring them to room temperature before baking if possible, as they'll combine more easily with the butter mixture.
Vanilla extract - adds warmth and enhances the buttery flavour of the cake.
Lemon - you'll need the finely grated zest of one lemon and the juice of half. The zest provides most of the lemon aroma, while the juice adds gentle acidity and moisture without making the cake strongly lemon-flavoured.
Self-raising flour (self-rising flour) - provides the lift.
Plain flour (all-purpose flour) - combining a smaller amount of plain flour with the self-raising flour helps create the slightly firmer, close crumb you expect from Madeira cake.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
Have an allergy or dietary preference? Let AI customise the recipe for you.
Variations
- Make a Chocolate Madeira cake by replacing some of the plain flour with cocoa powder.
- Orange Madeira cake - replace the lemon zest and juice with orange for a sweeter citrus flavour.
- Lemon drizzle Madeira cake - spoon a simple lemon and sugar syrup over the warm cake after baking for a stronger lemon flavour and an extra-moist finish.
- Cherry Madeira cake - fold glacé cherries through the cake batter before baking.
- Almond Madeira cake - ground almonds can be used to give the cake a richer flavour and slightly denser texture.
Make it even better
Add healthy fats - serve a slice with a spoonful of natural almond butter or a handful of walnuts for extra unsaturated fats and protein.
Boost the fibre - replace 25g of the plain flour with wholemeal flour (whole wheat flour) for a little extra fibre. This may make the crumb slightly denser.
Add protein - serve with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt and fresh berries for a more balanced snack.
How to make simple moist Madeira cake
One: Preheat the oven to 170°C conventional / 150°C fan / Gas 3 / 340°F and grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with baking paper.
Two: Place the softened butter and golden caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat together until pale and fluffy. This should take around 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer.
Creaming the butter and sugar properly incorporates air into the mixture and helps prevent the finished cake from becoming too heavy.
Three: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
If the mixture starts to look curdled, add a tablespoon of the measured flour before adding the next egg.
Four: Mix in the vanilla extract, finely grated lemon zest and lemon juice.
Five: Fold in the self-raising flour and plain flour until everything is combined. The batter should be thick but should slowly drop from a spoon. If it seems unusually stiff, mix in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Avoid beating the mixture once the flour has been added. Overmixing at this stage can make the finished cake heavier.
Six: Spoon the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin and gently level the top.
Seven: Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
If the top is becoming too dark before the middle is cooked, loosely cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Eight: Leave the Madeira cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top Tips
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Softened butter and room-temperature eggs combine more easily and produce a smoother batter.
- Cream the butter and sugar properly. Beat them until noticeably paler and fluffy rather than simply mixing them together.
- Add the eggs gradually. Adding them one at a time helps prevent the mixture from curdling.
- Don't overmix the flour. Fold it in only until no dry flour remains.
- Check the cake towards the end of baking. Overbaking is one of the easiest ways to turn a moist Madeira cake into a dry one.
- Don't worry about the crack. A crack along the top of a Madeira loaf cake is completely normal.
Serving suggestions
Serve the cake for afternoon tea along with other tea-time treats such as mini sausage rolls, cucumber sandwiches, Empire biscuits, and Malteser tiffin.
You can also serve slices with fresh berries, lemon curd, a spoonful of whipped cream or honeycomb ice cream for an easy dessert.
Its firm, close crumb also makes Madeira cake useful for sherry trifle as it holds its shape well when layered with fruit, custard and cream.
Storage
Store - Allow the Madeira cake to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep well for up to 4 days.
Freeze - Wrap the whole cake or individual slices securely in baking paper followed by foil, or place them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost at room temperature before serving. Freezing individual slices is particularly handy if you want to take out just one or two portions at a time.
Troubleshooting guide
Why is my Madeira cake dry?
The most common cause is overbaking. Ovens vary, so start checking the cake towards the end of the suggested baking time.
Adding too much flour can also result in a dry cake, which is why weighing the ingredients is preferable.
The size of the loaf tin matters too. Using a tin that's significantly larger than a standard 2lb loaf tin will produce a shallower cake that cooks more quickly.
Why has my Madeira cake sunk in the middle?
A sunken centre usually means the middle wasn't completely cooked when the cake came out of the oven.
Opening the oven door too early can also cause the cake to sink, so avoid checking it until it's close to the end of the baking time.
Why did my cake mixture curdle?
Cake batter can curdle if the eggs are added too quickly or if the eggs are much colder than the butter.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well between each addition. If the mixture begins to curdle, beat in a tablespoon of the measured flour before continuing.
Why is my Madeira cake heavy?
Make sure you cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, as this incorporates air into the batter.
Once the flour has been added, fold it in gently and stop mixing as soon as everything is combined.
Why has my Madeira cake cracked on top?
A crack along the top of a Madeira cake is normal and is particularly common when the cake is baked in a loaf tin.
The outside of the cake sets while the centre continues to rise during baking, causing the surface to split. It isn't a sign that your cake has failed.
Madeira cake FAQs
Victoria sponge has a softer, lighter and more aerated crumb, whereas Madeira cake has a firmer, closer texture. This makes Madeira cake particularly good for slicing and also means it holds its shape well.
No. Madeira cake and pound cake are similar firm, buttery cakes, but they aren't identical. Traditional pound cake takes its name from the classic formula using equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Madeira cake usually contains a higher proportion of flour and is traditionally flavoured with lemon.
No, there is no Madeira wine in Madeira cake. It is so-called because it used to be served with a glass of Madeira (a fortified Portuguese wine). These days it is more likely to be served with a cup of tea.
Yes. Madeira cake is a good make-ahead cake because its firm crumb keeps well.
More loaf cakes to try
- Golden Syrup Cake
- Apple Loaf Cake
- Blackberry Loaf Cake
- Lime and Coconut Loaf Cake
- Lemon Curd Loaf Cake
- Marzipan Loaf Cake
- Banana and Blueberry Bread
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Recipe
Easy Madeira Cake Recipe
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Equipment
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 180 g Butter softened
- 180 g Golden Caster Sugar (Superfine)
- 3 Eggs large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Lemon zest of whole lemon and juice of half.
- 200 g Self Raising Flour (Self rising flour)
- 50 g Plain Flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan / 340°F). Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with baking paper (parchment paper).
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy. This should take around 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer.180 g Butter, 180 g Golden Caster Sugar (Superfine)
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of the measured flour.3 Eggs
- Mix in the vanilla extract, finely grated lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 Lemon
- Gently fold in the self-raising flour (self-rising flour) and plain flour (all-purpose flour) until just combined. The batter should be thick but drop slowly from a spoon. Avoid overmixing, as this can make the cake heavy.200 g Self Raising Flour (Self rising flour), 50 g Plain Flour
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer (toothpick) inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil.
- Leave the Madeira cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Room-temperature ingredients: Use softened butter and room-temperature eggs so they combine easily.
- Cream well: Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy before adding the eggs.
- Curdled mixture: If the mixture starts to curdle when adding the eggs, beat in a tablespoon of the measured flour.
- Batter consistency: The batter should be thick but slowly drop from a spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of milk if it seems unusually stiff.
- Don't overmix: Fold in the flour only until combined.
- Baking: Start checking the cake towards the end of the baking time. A skewer should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cracked top: A crack along the top of a Madeira loaf cake is completely normal.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months
Laura says
This madeira cake was perfect for brunch with my girlfriends! Light and fluffy and delicious! Can't wait to make it again.
SM says
This cake should go into my oven soon and then it would accompany my coffee. Many thanks for sharing this recipe Beth. 🙂
Marie Craig says
Made this and it's the best maderia cake I've ever made am going to make Madeira buns
Ana F. says
This madeira cake turned out amazing! Truly fluffy and delicious. I enjoyed it with some nutella as you suggested and the combo was perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Anita says
I always love a good pound cake, so it is a no surprise that I am in love with this cake too.
Jill says
The flavor and texture of this cake was wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
Andrea says
This loaf cake looks so light and fluffy. Perfect with tea or coffee.
Mairead says
I love Madeira cake - it brings back memories of my Irish childhood. I would eat a thick slice of cake with a cold glass of milk as soon as my mother said the cake was cool enough for cutting. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.