Madeira Cake
A proper British Madeira Cake – simple, buttery and lightly flavoured with lemon or vanilla. This easy sponge has a close, tender crumb and is perfect for afternoon tea or everyday baking. A true UK classic that is as dependable as it is delicious.
Say hello to Madeira Cake – a classic British sponge cake. Known for its close, buttery crumb and firm yet tender texture. It’s slightly denser than a Victoria Sponge, which makes it perfect for neat slices that hold their shape beautifully. Traditionally served plain with a cup of tea, it’s a simple bake that has stood the test of time.
Despite the name, Madeira Cake doesn’t actually come from the island of Madeira. Instead, it was originally made to be enjoyed alongside a glass of Madeira wine in the 18th and 19th centuries. The cake itself is unmistakably British – a straightforward, no-fuss sponge that is all about flavour and texture, rather than decoration.
Traditionally, Madeira Cake has a gentle lemon undertone. It’s not meant to be overpowering – just a subtle freshness that balances the richness of the butter. These days, vanilla is just as popular, giving a softer, warmer flavour that works beautifully, particularly if you’re using the cake as a base for decorating.
One of the things I love most about Madeira Cake is how versatile it is. You can bake it in a round tin for a classic tea-time cake, or in a loaf tin for easy slicing. It’s lovely served just as it is, but you can also add a simple icing, a layer of buttercream, or even use it as a sturdy base for a birthday cake. Because of its slightly firmer crumb, it’s ideal for carving and decorating without crumbling apart!
It’s a proper, dependable, easy British bake – simple ingredients, simple method, and consistently good results.
Tips for Traditional Madeira Cake:
• Round or Loaf: Madeira Cake can be made in any shape of tin, but round or loaf are the two most common. This recipe uses an 18cm (7-inch) round tin, but you can also use a 900g (2lb) loaf tin without having to adjust the recipe quantities.
• Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Your butter and eggs should be at room temperature before you start. This helps everything combine properly, bake at a steady rate and to give you a smooth, even sponge.
• Butter or Margarine, Which is Best: Much like most of my cake recipes, I prefer to use a soft margarine designed specifically for baking – such as Stork. I find this to be the best for creating moist, predictable cakes. If you are a butter purist, you can, of course, use butter, too. Just be sure that whatever you use is at room temperature, or in the case of butter, softened – which is usually a little warmer than your average room temperature.
• Cream the Butter and Sugar Enough: But not too much. You want your butter and sugar to be light, pale and fluffy – then stop. You don’t want to overmix your ingredients in this one. Madeira Cake is quite a dense sponge, and overmixing can cause it to collapse during baking.
• Lemon or Vanilla: Traditionally, Madeira Cake would be made with a slight lemon undertone. I like to use some lemon extract to achieve this, as it saves me having to remember to buy lemons! But you can, of course, use some lemon zest, should you prefer. Alternatively, you can use a little vanilla instead, which is a popular modern choice and works well if you plan to use this recipe as a base for a birthday cake.
• Crack, or No Crack: Often, you will see a Madeira Cake with a crack on the top. This is a common feature that can happen during baking. It occurs when the cake rises quickly during baking. Depending on how you plan to serve your Madeira Cake, you may or may not want the cracked top. If you would prefer a flat top (like pictured), you can try reducing your oven temperature a little and baking for longer. Or, if you want a crack, you can try upping your oven temperature slightly – just keep a close eye on your baking time in that case!
• How to Know It’s Done: Insert a skewer into the centre, and it should come out clean. The top should feel firm and spring back lightly when pressed.
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Madeira Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 150 g Margarine or Butter (softened)
- 150 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 3 Free-range Eggs (at room temperature)
- 225 g Self-raising Flour
- ½ tsp Lemon Extract or Vanilla Extract (whichever preferred, also optional)
EQUIPMENT
- 18cm (7-inch) Deep Cake Tin
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Grease and line a deep 18cm (7-inch) cake tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the margarine/butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is mixed through before adding the next. Don’t worry if the mixture appears to curdle – this will remedy itself once the flour is added.
- Add the lemon or vanilla extract (if using) and mix through.
- Sift in the flour and gently fold to create a thick batter. Spoon the batter into your pre-lined tin and bake in your pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, until risen, golden in colour, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for around 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES:
Storage:
Keep Madeira cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Because of its slightly denser crumb, Madeira cake keeps well and often tastes even better the day after baking.Freezing:
Madeira cake freezes very well. Once completely cooled, wrap the cake tightly in cling film and then a layer of foil, or place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.Substitutions:
Traditional Madeira cake includes lemon zest for a gentle citrus flavour, but I prefer to use a dash of lemon extract – purely so I don’t have to worry about having lemons handy (I never do). Vanilla is also a popular choice.Cake Tin Options:
This recipe can be baked in either a round cake tin or a loaf tin. An 18cm (7-inch) round tin is ideal, or a 900g (2lb) loaf tin.Madeira cake is a traditional British sponge cake known for its close, firm crumb and rich buttery flavour. It’s slightly denser than a Victoria sponge, making it ideal for neat slices and for decorating. Traditionally flavoured with lemon, modern versions often include vanilla.
Madeira cake is made by creaming butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then adding eggs one at a time before folding in flour and flavourings such as lemon zest or vanilla. The mixture is baked in a lined round or loaf tin at a moderate temperature until golden and firm. The result is a simple, sturdy sponge with a delicious, tender crumb.
Despite its name, Madeira cake does not come from the Island of Madeira. It is a classic British cake that became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was traditionally served alongside a glass of Madeira wine. The cake itself is entirely British in origin!
A Madeira cake will stay fresh for around 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Because of its firm, dense crumb, it keeps particularly well compared to lighter sponges. It can also be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months.
Madeira cake and pound cake are similar, but they’re not exactly the same. Both are firm, buttery cakes with a close crumb. However, traditional pound cake is made with equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Madeira cake typically contains a little more flour and often includes some lemon flavour, giving it a slightly lighter texture and a subtle citrus flavour. Madeira cake is also more commonly associated with British baking, whereas pound cake tends to be American.
Yes! Madeira cake is an excellent choice for birthday cakes. It’s firm, sturdy crumb makes it ideal for layering, covering with buttercream or fondant, and even carving into creative shapes. Because it holds its structure well without crumbling, it is often used as a base for decorated celebration cakes while still tasting soft and buttery.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: To make a gluten-free Madeira Cake you should be able to swap out the self-raising flour for a gluten-free self-raising flour. I haven’t tested this myself but I know people have had success with this swap in some of my other cake recipes, so it would hopefully transfer to this recipe, too.
Dairy-free: To make this a dairy-free Madeira Cake, simply use a dairy-free baking margarine instead of butter.
Vegan: To make this a vegan Madeira Cake you can use a dairy-free baking margarine and try an egg substitute. I haven’t tested the different egg-replacement options, but flaxseed eggs or an Aquafaba egg (such as Oggs) should be good options.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
With thanks to Naomi Seiler for creating these photos.
I just made the Madeira cake. It’s delicious! My Mum (92) also loved it. Next time I might use 3/4 teaspoon lemon essence just to give it a bit more. Easy recipe great result.
This was a tasty cake but I felt mine was a bit dense! Any suggestions to try and alleviate this are welcome. I also felt mine needed a bit of jam on it to increase moisture content- maybe I over mixed it or maybe this is how the cake should be? I did double the quantity so mixing the flour involved more work than I generally like to do to a batter.
Any advice is welcome.
Hi Ian. Madeira Cake is quite a dense cake, especially compared to the likes of a very light Victoria Sponge. However, I would be inclined to say it could well be the result of doubling the quantity, especially if you felt the flour was taking a lot of work. You want to gently fold the flour in, as not to knock-out the air from creaming the butter, sugar and eggs – so you might be right in terms of overmixing.
Also, Madeira Cake should be dense but not dry. And you usually find that if you store the cake in an airtight container for a day or two before serving, it will have a moister sponge and lose any crispness on top. Hope that helps!
Hi Amy. Can I use lemon juice to make your Madeira cake, instead of the lemon extract?
Thanks for your help.
Best wishes
Roger
Hi Roger. Great question! You can use lemon juice, but the lemon flavour won’t come through very much. You’d be better off using some lemon zest, in the case of fresh lemons vs lemon extract. Hope that helps!