To do this, you have to be a patient cook and the ingredients used must be of the best possible quality.
By Regula Ysewijn
Although Madeira cake is made with wheat flour, I opted to use the more nutritious Spelt instead. I started from the oldest recipes I could find in my collection of vintage cookery books from Jane Grigson. This recipe appeared to me as the more traditional version as often lots of extra things are added to the cake like almond flour or candied mixed fruits. I think it very possible that in the 19th century each household would have had their own recipe for Madeira cake depending on the cooks choice. 
Madeira Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
To do this, you have to be a patient cook and the ingredients used must be of the best possible quality.
Ingredients
- 175 g good quality unsalted butter, soft not runny
- 175 g caster sugar
- 275 g spelt flour
- 2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder (use only one when using wheat four)
- 4 large free range eggs
- grated zest of half an organic lemon
- thin peels of zest of half an organic lemon for decoration
Instructions
- Prepare a 18 cm – 20 cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper and set aside
- Preheat your oven to 180° C
- Cream the soft butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well
- Add the lemon zest, stir well
- Sift the flour and the baking powder so the baking powder is divided nicely
- Gently fold the ingredients together and combine well
- Transfer the dough into the prepared cake tin and put in the preheated oven for 45 minutes
- After 45 minutes ass the lemon peel to the top of the cake, bake for a further 15 minutes
- Decorate with a soft dusting of icing sugar
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Baking
