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MADIERA CAKE
Reference the Australian Women’s Weekly MADIERA CAKE
The original recipe has been adjusted for tin size, cups converted to grams and the rind has been weighed…post the first attempt, I have added 50g SRF and doubled the weight of lemon rind.
I live in a group of ten small units and have three favourite neighbours. For their birthdays, I make them the birthday cake of their choice. When there are so many options, it came as a surprise to be asked for a Madeira Cake, something I had heard of but never made before.
It seemed incredibly simple, and I guessed it was one of those cakes that was best made and eaten not too long after it has come from the oven and of course, never, put in the fridge. My research offered many different recipes, all quite a bit different and several with milk instead of lemon juice and some without lemon rind. It was also noticeably absent from Larousse, confirming that the Madeira Cake is of English origin.
The Australian Women’s Weekly still kitchen tests every recipe they publish….I especially know this because many years ago I was asked for my Golden Dumpling recipe. To my astonishment and shame, I received a call saying the recipe did not work…I had missed a critical ingredient.
The Madeira Cake sank a little in the middle. This may have been because opened the oven at thirty minutes and took it out of the oven to check with a skewer, but, I have added a little more flour and I thought it could have done with a little more lemon flavour, hence the additional rind…texture was perfectly buttery, moist and delicious. Next time I will definitely not remove it from the oven at 30 minutes. All of this is of course my own concept because I have absolutely no idea what the perfect Madeira Cake should actually be like.
I appreciate the plainness of this cake I could not help thinking that cut into rectangles, topped with Lemon Curd and a single blueberry garnish, would give it three stars. Whilst I had planned to make a Madeira Cake just once, I think I will make it again.
AO 2 OCTOBER 2024
THE QUESTION IS LEAVE IT PLAIN OR EMBELLISH?
THE FINISHED CAKE MOIST AND DELICIOUS.
for the INGREDIENTS
5 whole eggs…room temperature
375g unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
+ approx. 20g extra butter for the tin
250g caster sugar, powdered
25g finely grated lemon rind
380g SRF
113g fresh strained lemon juice
30g caster sugar
follow carefully
Preheat oven to 180°C
Butter the tin, and line the base and sides with baking paper. Flour and shake out any bits that have missed papering.
Fill your mixing bowl with hot water and add the eggs. Weigh out and prepare the remaining ingredients.
Drain the water and dry the eggs and bowl…without delay so that the bowl is still warm add the butter and using the creaming paddle fluff it up. Add the sugar and work in giving it a 2-3 minute whip. Working one at a time and not adding another until each egg is fully incorporated. Add the four whole eggs, and reserving the white for another purpose, add one yolk.
sift in the flour
Add the lemon rind, work in and then sift in the flour. On low-speed work in the flour a little and add the lemon juice in small increments, working in before each addition.
Pile the cake batter into the prepared tin smooth the tops and scatter the caster sugar over the top.
THE FINISHED CAKE BATTER…SHINY AND VELVETY SMOOTH
SCATTER THE EXTRA SUGAR ON THE TOP
BAKE the CAKE
Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, and without opening the oven turn the heat down to 160°C and cook for a further 10 minutes. Stand on a rack for 1 hour to cool before inverting it and flipping it onto your serving plate.
Failure to observe the cooling time and you may well end up with a broken cake…even so, it is quite fragile.
WE WILL ALSO BE TRYING
ELIZABETH ACTON’S 1845
MADEIRA CAKE RECIPE
….so stay tuned!
Not dissimilar ingredient quantities; however, SRF is totally absent and bicarb is added straight to the batter at the last minute…I’m going to give it a go! ABOUT
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