Nigella’s Madeira Cake was one of my saviours during lockdown. This is a beautiful cake that ideally is baked up in a loaf tin, rather than a round cake tin. There’s something about cutting a uniform slice and smothering it in cream and strawberries that just can’t be beaten. It’s an afternoon tea cake, an eat-me-with-friends kind of cake, a cake that begs to be eaten in moderate quantities to curb a craving. This recipe is both nostalgic and simple. Almost so simple you’d think what’s the point in baking it? But these kinds of cakes shouldn’t be underestimate because they’re oh-so-good. Nigella’s Madeira Cake bakes up an absolute treat, turning a gorgeous golden hue and crusting up with a deep crack down the middle. Inside though, it’s soft and pillowy with an air-like quality that avoids it from being heavy and dense.
Can I make a variation of Nigella’s Madeira Cake?
Yes, this cake is simple – but it’s meant to be that way. Saying that, I’ve put together a few beautiful ways you can adapt this recipe and put your own twist on it:
- Lemon + poppyseed. Simply add the juice of half a lemon to the batter and 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds.
- Lime. Simply swap the lemon zest for the zest of three limes instead.
- Forest fruits. A gorgeous addition for summer. Add 50g of dried strawberries and 50g dried raspberries to your batter.
- Blood orange. Add the juice and zest of 1/2 a blood orange, then make a blood orange icing by combining sifted icing sugar with a few tablespoons of juice.
- Coconut and almond. Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and 100g of desiccated coconut to your batter.
- Marble. Divide the batter in two and add 30g of cocoa powder to one half of the batter. Then pour into your loaf tin, alternating between the two batters, and use a skewer to swirl them together before baking.
Why you’ll love Nigella’s Madeira Cake:
- It’s light and fluffy
- It’s made with ingredients that most people have in their kitchen
- It can be easily adapted
- It stores easily and keeps for days
- It’s delicious at any time of year
Having trouble making Nigella’s Madeira Cake?
I’ve put together some of the most common troubles people have when baking cakes, and solutions to help you make the best bake yet.
How do I know when my cake is ready?
- The cake should feel firm on the top and a cake tested inserted into the centre should come out clean.
- If your cake is browning on top too quickly, then cover it loosely with silver foil until the end of the baking time.
My cake sunk in the middle
- If your cake comes out the oven with a pronounced peak in the centre and then sinks, it’s likely your oven was a bit too hot. The outside edges of the cake will bake more quickly, forcing the softer centre inwards and upwards. Remember to adjust your oven temperature if you have a fan oven or turn it down by 10C / 25F and bake for slightly longer.
Why is my cake lopsided?
- Remember to rotate your cake halfway through baking, especially with larger loaves. This will make for a more even bake.
Loved this cake? Find more of my bakes over on Instagram.
Nigella’s Madeira Cake
Ingredients
- 240 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 210 g self-raising flour
- 90 g plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170C/150C Fan/325F. Prepare a 2L loaf tin by greasing it and lining it with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk, then add the lemon zest and vanilla extract scraping around the sides of the bowl before whisking once more.
- In a separate bowl, measure out the flours and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs to your creamed butter mixture one at a time with a tablespoon of the combined flours for each, whisking after each addition.
- Once the eggs have been added, whisk in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice. The mixture will be relatively thick but this is ok.
- Pour into your prepared tin and then sprinkle with caster sugar (approx. 2tbsp) before it goes into the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden skewer or sharp knifes comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack, before turning out completely.
Notes
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