When I saw that the theme for Bake-Along this time round is Madeira Cake, I decided to Google and find out what’s so special about this cake that is named after a place in Portugal. It turns out that the cake is not from Portugal, but originated in England around the 1800s, and that its name, Madeira, is named for the wine it often accompanies.
Madeira wine is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands. To accompany this wine which was a popular beverage in Europe since 16th century, this cake was developed, which consists only of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Lemon juice and zest are later often added to give it a slight tang, and no wine was harm in the making of this cake (only after the cake is made).
Nigella’s recipe yields a huge cake, and as I don’t have so many mouths to feed, I scaled down the recipe to 1/3 to make a 5-inch round cake, which was enough to feed us for 2 to 3 days (as breakfast for X and as tea-break for me). I also modified the recipe a little so that I can put in cup measurements and increased the amount of lemon required in the recipe because I’m sure you all know by now, I love a strong lemony taste in my bakes.
The resulting cake is light but still rich and buttery. X says the texture was interesting because it was like eating a sponge cake and a rich butter cake at the same time. I’m glad I increased the amount of lemon as it adds a refreshing and lingering tang to the cake, and coupled with the crunchy sugar topping, it just keeps me coming back for more. But I have to restrain myself, otherwise my waistline is just gonna go *poof*!
Step-by-step Photos | |
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| 1) Measure flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. | 2) Whisk well to evenly distribute the baking powder and salt. |
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| 3) Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy. | 4) Add in the egg and 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. |
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| 5) Beat in the lemon juice. | 6) Beat in the flour mixture until almost combined. |
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| 7) Then finish mixing in the flour with a rubber spatula. | 8) Transfer the batter into a cake tin. |
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| 9) Sprinkle with sugar. | 10) Then bake away! |
Bake-Along is hosted by these wonderful ladies – Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Her Frozen Wings. See at the end of the post for all the yummy Madeira Cakes baked by other fellow bakers!
(The next Bake-Along theme is Croissant and I have to apologise that I won’t be joining as it’s a too challenging for me as I haven’t master bread-baking yet, perhaps next time!)
Madeira Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 95 grams all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 75 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature (1/3 cup)
- 60 grams caster sugar, 1/4 cup
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
- 1 to 2 teaspoons caster sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 170C / 325F. Butter a 5-inch round tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Whisk well to evenly distribute the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed until light and fluffy, scrapping down the sides occasionally. Add in egg and 1 tablespoon of flour mixture and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Beat in the lemon juice on low speed. Add in the flour mixture and beat on low speed until almost incorporated. Use a rubber spatula and finish mixing in the flour mixture.
- Scoop the cake batter into the prepared tin and using the spatula, spread the batter to the edges evenly. Sprinkle with the caster sugar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack completely before serving.
NOTES
Lian Loong says
Lovely cake and photos, Jasline.
Jasline N. says
Thank you Lian!
Sokehah Cheah says
Your cake looks fab, nice, soft crumbs!
Jasline N. says
Thank you so much Cheah!
Liz says
I used to make Madeira cake many years ago. Thank God you’ve jogged my memory. I am going to make one this week! Have a wonderful week!
Jasline N. says
Hi Liz, this is my first time making Madeira cake and I really like it, can’t wait to see your bake! Have a lovely week ahead too!
Zoe (@bake4happykids) says
Hi Jasline,
Funny that you said that your waistline will go “poof” if you eat too many cakes… I have this fear too! LOL! Must do what Lena said… Bake a bigger cake and share the “poof” effect with other friends. Guess that we are really “good” friends, right?
Zoe
Jasline N. says
Hi Zoe, haha too bad I’m too far away from my ex-colleagues and friends, can’t share the poof effect with them, so I can only scale down and bake a smaller one. :p
bentodays says
This looks so good! I love lemon baked goods too, really enjoy the tartness that offsets the sweet parts.
Jasline N. says
Thanks Jean! Another lemon fan to the family 😉
dedy oktavianus pardede says
wow, what a royal breakfast for me, damn delicious!!!
Jasline N. says
Thanks Dedy!
Doreen says
Hi Jasline,
I have just baked mine last night. I baked 2/3 of the recipe for a slim long loaf.
You baked yours, so lovely in round shape. I like your clicks, lovely~
mui
Jasline N. says
Hi Doreen, thank you for the compliments, I’m sure yours is very pretty too, I’m heading over to check out yours!
lena says
yes, a little bit more lemon doesnt hurt at all..i made the full recipe and used juice from 1 whole lemon and i think i can still go beyond that for a more lemony taste..i’m glad that this cake turned out well for you..noted about the croissants. Must tell you that it in indeed very tough ..for me!! haha!
Jasline N. says
Hi Lena! Yay I found another lemon fan 🙂 Yea… I scared I’ll fail and waste ingredients, will gather more experience then make this!
joceline says
Hello Jasline，你好。
我也忍不住烤了这个蛋糕。嘻嘻嘻 。。。 不错的。表层的“皮”很好吃的。哈哈哈 。。。。
Jasline N. says
Hi Joceline! 我这就过去你那看你的蛋糕！
May Law says
Hi Jasline, 这蛋糕看起来蛮不错的哦， 搞到我的手也有些痒了！嘻嘻
Jasline N. says
Hi May, 你做出来的一定很美！
Nee says
Hi Jasline , I will try this cake , love the texture and color , thanks for sharing 🙂 Nee
Jasline N. says
You are welcome Nee, can’t wait to see your take on the cake!
Shirley Tay (Blackswan) says
Wow, what a pretty treat! xoxo
Jasline N. says
Thanks Shirley!
Joyce, Kitchen Flavours says
Hi Jasline,
Your cake looks lovely! I usually made half a recipe for cakes, but not this, Nigella’s recipes, I seldom scale down! haha! My waistline already “poofed!”!!! 🙂
Thanks for baking along with us!
Jasline N. says
Haha thanks for choosing such an awesome theme!
Susan says
This is the kind of cake that I adore – simple but moist and delicious! Thank you for scaling down the proportions for us because since we are empty-nesters we only need small cakes here also. I am a lemon lover also!
Jasline N. says
You are welcome Susan! I’m glad I found a fellow lemon lover! 🙂
Bam's Kitchen says
Jasline you have been baking up a storm lately! I have never heard of a madeira cake until your post, sounds and looks delicious and delicate enough to be a breakfast/tea break option. Sharing everywhere of course!
Jasline N. says
Thanks Bobbi! Yea I’m glad I’m getting the baking mojo back, though this is paired often with wine I would love to have it with tea more!
Bam's Kitchen says
Guess I what tried for the first time today? You guessed it, Durian. Of course I paired this with a nice hua cha. It is very heaty…but very delicious. Do you need me to send you some cha?
Jasline N. says
Oooh! I’m glad you like it! Durian is probably something I will not find here, I’d be very surprised if I can find it here! Thank you so much for the love Bobbi, but we just bought some tea when we popped by Turkey last month, can’t finish drinking them!
thehungrymum says
that’s meant to be 🙂 not 🙁 #oooops
thehungrymum says
I adore maderia cake and yours looks superb. I usually make mine as a loaf but this style looks waaaaaay fancier ;(
Jasline N. says
Thank you! 🙂 I would have baked it in a loaf too but my loaf tin is too big! I’m hoping to get a mini loaf so I can bake loaf cakes too!