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–+ servings
Air fryer cherry Madeira cake.
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5 from 7 votes

Air Fryer Cherry Madeira Cake

An easy Air Fryer Cherry Madeira Cake recipe, baked to perfection in your air fryer!
Course Baking
Cuisine British
Prep Time 6 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 401kcal
Author Beth Sachs

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Equipment

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary
  • 180 g Butter softened
  • 180 Caster Sugar
  • 3 Eggs (large)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Lemon zest of whole lemon and juice of half
  • 200 g Self Raising Flour
  • 50 g Plain Flour
  • 170 g Glace Cherries washed, dried and tossed in a teaspoon of plain flour to coat them.

Instructions

  • Preheat your air fryer to 150C (300F) and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. Before you begin the recipe you must make sure your tin fits in your air fryer basket. A deep 20 cm round baking tin might be better for your particular air fryer model.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy.
    180 g Butter, 180 Caster Sugar
  • Beat in the eggs lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
    3 Eggs (large), 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 Lemon
  • Fold in the flours and mix until you have a thick smooth batter.
    200 g Self Raising Flour, 50 g Plain Flour
  • Pour half the batter into the prepared 2lb loaf tin.
  • Mix the glace cherries into the remaining batter then spoon the mixture into the loaf tin. Level the top with a spatula and air fry for 50 minutes - 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Check the cake after 45 minutes and if the top is browning too much, cover with a layer of foil.
    170 g Glace Cherries
  • Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the tin and removing it to a wire rack.

Notes

Expert Tips:
  • Wash and dry the glace cherries and toss them in a little flour to prevent the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
  • If your batter feels a touch too dry, like it's lacking the usual smoothness of cake batter, don't hesitate to add a splash of milk.
  • Stressed about a crack in your cake? Don't be! That's the beauty of a traditional Madeira cake. That crack on top is a signature, a thumbs-up from the cake itself saying you've nailed the recipe!
  • Remember to use the right size loaf tin (2lb/900g) to prevent any messy overflows of batter, or a similar capacity tin that will fit in your air fryer.
 
Variations:
  • Give your cake a chocolaty twist by substituting 25g of the plain flour with cocoa powder.
  • Add ground almonds (almond meal) to your batter for an extra crunch.
  • Glaze the top of your cake with a lemon sugar syrup and garnish with candied lemon slices for a citrusy zing.
  • Fancy an orangey touch? Replace the lemon zest with orange zest and the lemon juice with orange juice. Alternatively, you could simply use lemon extract.
 
Storage:
Store - in an airtight container at room temperature to keep it moist. It should stay fresh for up to a week. Avoid refrigerating it, as this can dry out the cake.
Freeze - wrap it tightly in cling film or foil and put it in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
 
Nutrition:
 

Nutritional Information (Approximate)

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
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