British · serves 2
Madeira Cake
A plain, close-grained loaf that keeps a week. The one to have with tea.
Ingredients
- 175g butter, softened
- 175g sugar
- 250g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 150ml milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A thin strip of candied lemon peel
Method
- Milk and vinegar, 5 minutes to thicken.
- Cream butter and sugar until genuinely pale — several minutes. There is nothing else lifting this cake.
- Sift in flour and almonds alternately with the soured milk.
- Zest and vanilla, folded through.
- Lined loaf tin. 170°C for 20 minutes.
- Lay the candied peel on top and bake 40 minutes more. Putting it on at the start means it sinks.
- Cool in the tin 10 minutes, then onto a rack.