Madeira cake
Makes: 10 slices
Serves: 10
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Hannah Rose Hughes
Madeira cake
There’s a beauty in the simplicity of this very traditional British cake, which has a characteristic crack that forms along the top as it bakes. Where a classic sponge has equal quantities by weight of eggs, butter, flour and sugar, the Madeira has a slightly higher proportion of flour and therefore a firmer texture.
Makes: 10 slices
Serves: 10
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (slice)
Calories
318Kcal
Fat
17gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
39gr
Sugars
18gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.3gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 175g soft unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- 175g caster sugar, plus 1/2 tbsp extra to sprinkle
- grated zest of 1 or 2 unwaxed lemons (depending on how subtle or intense you want the lemon flavour to be)
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 250g self-raising flour*
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp milk
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin (9cm x 19cm base) with baking paper. Cream the butter and 175g sugar together in a mixing bowl, until pale and fluffy, then mix in the lemon zest. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a spoonful of the flour if the mixture looks like it might split. Sift in the rest of the flour and the salt, then fold together, adding the vanilla and enough milk to give a batter that drops fairly easily from the spoon.
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Smooth the batter into the tin then scatter the extra sugar on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes (cover with foil after 40 minutes if it’s darkening quickly). The cake should be risen and firm – a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. The cake keeps for up to 5 days in an airtight container, or can be frozen.
*Use gluten-free flour if required, adding tsp xanthan gum and an extra 2 tbsp milk.
