Easy Madeira cake
Perfect with a glass of madeira or sherry, madeira cake is so good to have around at Christmas. As it’s denser than the average sponge, it is also perfect for trifle.
Ingredients
- 250g/9oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 2 clementines, zest and juice only
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 free-range eggs
- 2 tbsp caster sugar, for the topping
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Butter and line a large loaf tin.
Cream together the butter, caster sugar and clementine zest – you can do this either in a stand mixer or with hand-held electric beaters.
Mix the flour and baking powder together with a pinch of salt. Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar and butter mixture, sprinkling over a couple of tablespoons of flour with each addition and mixing well.
Fold in the rest of the flour followed by the clementine juice – the texture will be slightly firmer than the dropping consistency you need for a lighter sponge.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Bake in the oven for between 55–60 minutes, or until a cake skewer comes out clean. The cake will be a rich golden-brown and may have cracked lengthways down the middle – this is normal for a madeira cake.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before transferring to a wire rack.