Looking for an easy Madeira cake recipe? This golden simple moist Madeira loaf cake is simple to make and it’s buttery, fluffy, and delicious.
What is Madeira Cake
Madeira Cake is a UK cake similar to the US pound cake. It is a simple and basic cake traditionally flavoured with lemon juice and zest. It is buttery, sweet, light yet denser than sponge cake. Typically baked in a loaf tin, it can be baked in any cake pan.
It got its name from Madeira wine, a Portuguese wine popular in England in the mid-1800s, and was served with this simple cake. Madeira wine is not an ingredient used in making Madeira cake.
Traditional Madeira cake is characterized by its golden colour and cracked dome top. It is a British classic cake traditionally served at tea time.
Why You’ll Love This Madeira Cake Recipe
This is the best Madeira cake recipe if I do say so myself. It is moist, delicious, and easy to make.
Madeira cake is perfect as a snack with tea, coffee, and other refreshing drinks but it is also great for decorating because of its denser nature than the sponge cake. It is easy to work with and holds its shape making it popular in the UK for wedding and birthday cakes.
This is one of the cakes I like to make for my children’s lunch boxes and that is because it uses few ingredients, it is a plain cake that is moist and delicious. It also holds up in their lunch boxes without breaking up.
Madeira Cake is typically flavored with lemon however you can substitute this for orange or vanilla flavor or use no flavoring.
I’ve used the same creaming method of making cake as in my sponge loaf cake recipe. Although the recipe is similar, Madeira cake uses more flour to create a denser cake that can withstand decorating and has a longer shelf life.
Ingredients
Butter
Sugar- Granulated sugar or Caster sugar works
Eggs- Bring the eggs to room temperature before use.
Flour– Self raising flour and Plain flour also called all purpose flour
Lemon (juice and zest) – This can be substituted for orange zest
How To Make Madeira Cake Loaf
Preheat oven – Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
Prepare the cake tin- Place a loaf liner in a loaf tin. If you don’t have a cake liner, coat a loaf pan with butter, then line the pan sides and bottom with baking paper.
Mix the plain flour and self raising flour. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar- Add the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl then use a hand mixer to beat on medium speed until light, pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at intervals.
Add eggs, lemon juice, and zest, and beat till they come together.
Mix the batter- Pour in the flour and use a spatula to combine then use the low speed of the mixer to beat till combined. (1 minutes)
Bake- Pour the Madeira loaf batter into the loaf tin and bake it in the oven for 50- 60 minutes.
When baked, madeira loaf will be golden brown at the top, and if you insert a skewer in the middle, it will come out clean.
Cool the cake- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to keep cooling.
Cut and serve.
Tips
- Madeira Cake cracks at the top during baking and this is common with most loaf cakes.
- If the cake is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature as your oven might be too hot.
- Don’t open the oven door within the first 35 minutes of baking as doing so lets cold air into the oven which can deflate the cake.
How To Store
It can be stored in a sealable container for up to 5 days and it will remain moist and delicious. It can also be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you want to store it for longer than 7 days, it’s best to store it in the freezer where it will keep for up to 3 months. Wrap in clingfilm and foil before putting it in a sealable container.
More British Cake Recipes
Victoria sponge cake
English Christmas Cake
Lemon drizzle Cake
I hope you try this Madeira cake recipe. If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below.
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Madeira Cake Loaf
Equipment
- 1 Hand or stand Mixer
- 1 Loaf tin or cake pan
- 1 Scraper
- 1 Cake liner
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- 200 g Butter
- 200 g Sugar
- 4 small Eggs not more than 200g totatl
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 whole Lemon zest
- 200 g Self raising flour
- 50 g Plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven – Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
- Mix the plain flour and self raising flour. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake tin- Place a loaf liner in a loaf tin. If you don't have a cake liner, coat a loaf pan with butter, then line the pan sides and bottom with baking paper.
- Cream butter and sugar- Add the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl then use a hand mixer to beat on medium speed until light, pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at intervals.
- Add eggs, lemon juice, and zest, and beat till they come together.
- Mix the batter- Pour in the flour and use a spatula to combine then use the low speed of the mixer to beat till combined. (1 minutes)
- Bake- Pour the Madeira loaf batter into the loaf tin and bake it in the oven for 50- 60 minutes.When baked, madeira loaf will be golden brown at the top, and if you insert a skewer in the middle, it will come out clean.
- Cool the cake- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to keep cooling.
- Cut and serve.
Notes
- Madeira Cake cracks at the top during baking and this is common with most loaf cakes.
- If the cake is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature as your oven might be too hot.
- Don’t open the oven door within the first 35 minutes of baking as doing so lets cold air into the oven which can deflate the cake.
