Madeira Cake - A British Classic

Madeira Cake is a classic British cake that’s been around for a couple hundred years. With few and simple ingredients, it’s so “plain Jane” that many people overlook it. But it’s a classic for a reason—it’s really good!

My mother and I always liked the buttery, faintly lemony aromas wafting through the kitchen as it baked. Since it’s baked in a deep tin, it takes longer to bake than a layer cake. The firm but tender texture makes beautiful slices for teatime, lunchbox or in trifle and other desserts.

If made correctly, it will be domed and have a crack on the top. And, contrary to its name, will not contain Madeira. It got its name simply because it was served with a glass of Madeira. But I’ve only ever served it with tea, and that’s a pretty delightful combination as well.

When baking layer cakes (in UK, sandwich cakes), especially ones that will be decorated, bakers take measures to prevent doming and cracking. There are lots of recipes out there for Madeira cake that incorporate some of those tactics, and that is wrong. Might make a nice cake, but it won’t be a Madeira cake.

You will need this particular size cake tin, a 3-inch/8cm deep 6-inch/15cm round cake tin for this amount of batter. What I love about this size tin is that it makes the perfect size cake for small pieces (3x3x1-inch wedges) for afternoon tea. Of course, you can also cut larger pieces for dessert.

This is not a Lemon Drizzle Cake, so I did not put a glaze on it; those little runs you see on the side are just from the candied lemon slices I placed on top for decoration. Have you ever made a Madeira cake?

Madeira Cake

(Makes one 3-inch/8cm deep 6-inch/15cm round cake)

1 1/4 dip-and-sweep cups (6.25 ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour*
2/3 cup (4.67 ounces/132 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons non-GMO baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (4.5 ounces/128 grams) unsalted butter, softened**
2 large eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 or 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

* Many British recipes call for self-raising flour, but mine will always call for plain flour. I prefer to be in control of the amount of baking powder and salt I use.

** Let butter stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. Butter needs to be a little softer for a hand mixer than for a stand mixer. It should be squishable, but not melting or greasy/oily. 

1 Preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas2. Butter a 3-inch deep 6-inch round cake tin. Line the bottom with a round of baking parchment. Turn the parchment over so that both sides are buttered. Lightly flour the tin.

Note: I've also baked it at 325F/165C/Gas3 for about 50 minutes with good results, but I think I prefer the lower temperature for the longer time.

2 In 2-quart bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. With electric hand mixer, mix the softened butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. On low setting, mix in the eggs, lemon juice and zest just until combined; beat on medium to high speed for 1 minute. The batter is quite stiff and should just drop slowly off a spoon when nudged. If it is too stiff, add a tablespoon of milk or another tablespoon of lemon juice, if you like.

3 Scrape batter into prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center or when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

4 Leave in tin on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from tin. Peel away the parchment on the bottom and set right side up on rack to cool completely.

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Jean