madeira cake

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

anyone make one?
And have a decent recipe please.

We had a particularly great Madeira cake every breakfast whilst in Portugal some years ago.
I'd like to be able to make a great one.

[Renee Profile]

Gill, I started to wonder about the origins of Madeira cake and found this:

It is sometimes mistakenly thought to originate from the Madeira Islands; however, that is not the case as it was instead named after Madeira wine, a Portuguese wine from the islands, which was popular in England in the mid 1800s when it was invented, and was often served with the cake. The confusion arises because Madeirans produce their own traditional Madeira cake – bolo de mel, a dark, spicy, honey cake – which is very different from its English counterpart. Nowadays, the English Madeira cake is often served with tea or liqueurs.

Here is Eliza Acton's recipe from her book published in 1845!

A Good Madeira Cake: Whisk four fresh eggs until they are as light as possible, then, continuing still to whisk them, throw by slow degrees the following ingredients in the order in which they are written: six ounces of dry pounded and sifted sugar; six of flour, also dried and sifted; four ounces of butter just dissolved, but not heated; the rind of a fresh lemon; and the instant before the cake is moulded beat well in the third of a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda: bake an hour in a moderate oven.

I know that you will find a better one, but you will need the lemon!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Thank you so much, Renee.
Eliza Acton is a new name to me. But it sounds jolly good. I can even get Portuguese flour at our local Portugal/ Brazilian deli next to my studio.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I use the recipe from my old sepia coloured Bero recipe book.

I have found this link, just for interest you have to scroll right down to cakes, but there is the recipe. I use it regularly because we like it but it also makes a great base - the peel or celebration cales when fruit cake is too much.
When I made DD's 3 tier wedding cake the top was a madeira cake for the fruit cale haters. I did the same for our 2 tier Golden Wedding cake

https://d-a-v-e.org/documents/Be-Ro_CookBook.pdf

[Amyw Profile]

Don't think I've ever knowingly had Madeira cake. What's it like?

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Whooo, that book's splattered nicely with greasy marks, Joan.
Thank you kindly for the link. I've never heard of a London Bun.

Amy, the shop bought ones are very sweet to me. But they were not in Portugal.
Basic, light. Not springy like a sponge cake.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

You probably have had Madeira cake, it’s a plain cake, essentially 3 or 4 eggs and their weight in butter sugar and flour

It’s the base recipe from which you can make coffee walnut cake, seed cake, cherry almond etc.

Some people use it as a trifle base, but I find it too solid

Eliza Acton is the great English cook book writer from whom Mrs Beeton pinched many recipes.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Madeira wine, a Portuguese wine from the islands, which was popular in England in the mid 1800s

It's still quite popular in this house in the early 2000s...

[Joanbunting Profile]

very Jane Austin isn't it?

[Sakkarin Profile]

The first time I came across Madeira Cake I was about 8. I went to a friend's birthday party, and all the kids were voraciously tucking into what looked like a plate full of slices of raw bread. It wasn't until it was all gone that I realised it was cake

[Suelle Profile Website]

You probably have had Madeira cake, it’s a plain cake, essentially 3 or 4 eggs and their weight in butter sugar and flour

I think that's how many cooks make Madeira cakes now, but the older recipes have a higher proportion of flour - 200g of butter and sugar would have around 250g flour, if not a little more.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I think Sue is describing a pound cake. and agree with Suelle.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

O, the recipes I have for Madeira cake use those proportions

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Well, that worked out perfectly, thank you so much for those who posted recipes for me to follow.
Very helpful, and just what I needed, especially as I couldn't find my be-ro book.

And I'm pleased the "ratio" I used seems right, Suelle.



We are strolling the Cotswold Park near Cirencester, and taking a piece for our afternoon tea.

Renee, I followed your posted method approach about beating those eggs up.
My scales don't hold ounces for very long, I've no idea why.
So I used 180g sifted flour and the soda, 150g butter, 3 v large eggs, 3 teasp honey & 1 tablesp sugar (the last of what I had). A splosh of my vanilla too.
You might be able to see the lemon rind.

Next time, I'll up the quantities as it was a petite loaf, rather than a large cake.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I think that Madeira cake, like madeleines, seed cake or a Victoria sponge, is a delight if done right and eaten fresh. Commercial cakes made down to a price with cheap ingredients and a long shelf life give these traditional items a bad name.

[Suelle Profile Website]

That looks good Gill, but you might do even better with baking powder rather than just using bicarbonate of soda.

In your case the honey probably activated the bicarb, but if you were using just sugar you wouldn't have the necessary acidic ingredient there to start the release of carbon-dioxide to raise the batter.

[Renee Profile]

What a lovely cake Gill! It has turned out perfectly.

Have a lovely afternoon.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Looks good Gill. I think Suelle is right about the baking powder.

Have a lovely Sunday and don't get sunburnt.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Duly covered up with long sleeves and slacks, Joan. And likewise to you - keep that cardi on.

Next time I'll use the baking powder.
We have both - it seemed to work fine with the soda this time, luckily.

What I liked was, how Madeira it tasted. They were good eggs though, big yellow ones from Morrisons.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Next time you want good eggs Gill just pop over we've always got a few spare.