Easy Madeira Cake Recipe
This easy Madeira cake recipe makes a classic buttery loaf cake with a moist, close-textured crumb and subtle lemon flavour. Baked in a 2lb loaf tin, it's a simple British cake that's perfect for afternoon tea, lunchboxes or an everyday treat.
Servings 10
Calories 287kcal
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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 tsp 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.
Avoid overmixing once the flour has been added, as this can make the cake tough. If the batter seems unusually stiff, add a tablespoon of milk to loosen it slightly.
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
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
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