With Lime and Buttermilk
Madeira, is the first cake I ever baked, many years ago, when I started baking. I used to bake it at least once a week. It’s traditionally flavoured with lemon but I’ve always preferred lime. The basic ingredients are egg, butter, sugar, flour and milk. There are also quite a few recipes that call for ground almonds.
Two days ago I woke up longing for Madeira cake so I made one and decided to post it. I have always added milk to the batter but this time, I used buttermilk. It tasted awesome. We polished it off in one sitting. Don’t ask me how many slices I ate, I probably ate 1/3 of the cake. It was good while it lasted. I hope you’re having a lovely week. Mine is good. Nothing to fret about. I wish you the best of times!
- Ingredients
- 250g (9oz, 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 175g (6oz, 11½ tablespoons, ¾ cup) butter, at room temperature
- 175g (6oz, 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) fine sugar
- 2 small lime, zest (rind) or 1 lemon, zest (rind)
- 3 eggs
- 30-45ml (2-3 tablespoons) milk or buttermilk
Please always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas 4) ten minutes before baking. Grease and line the base of a 8 inch (20cm) round cake tin (pan) with greased parchment (greaseproof paper). Sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Beat the butter, sugar and lime zest in a bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
The batter after beating in all the eggs
Gently fold in the sifted flour in two batches.
Add 2-3 tablespoons milk (buttermilk) to give a batter that falls slowly from the spoon.
The final batter looks like this
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
Bake on the middle shelf for 30-45 minutes, or until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer on to a wire rack to cool. I baked the cake for 45 minutes.
Serve
The cake is light and soft
We really enjoyed eating everything in one sitting!!!
Madeira Cake
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Baking time: 30-45 minutes; Makes: 8-inch (20cm) round cake
Ingredients
- 250g (9oz, 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 175g (6oz, 11½ tablespoons, ¾ cup) butter, at room temperature
- 175g (6oz, 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) fine sugar
- 2 small lime, zest (rind) or 1 lemon, zest (rind)
- 3 eggs
- 30-45ml (2-3 tablespoons) milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas 4) ten minutes before baking. Grease and line the base of a 8 inch (20cm) round cake tin (pan) with greased parchment (greaseproof paper). Sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the butter, sugar and lime zest in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
- Gently fold in the sifted flour in two batches. Add 2-3 tablespoons milk (buttermilk) to give a batter that falls slowly from the spoon.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake on the middle shelf for 30-45 minutes, or until golden-brown o and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer on to a wire rack to cool.
- For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. I use a 240ml American cup.
Points to Note:
- Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the cake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 45 minutes.
- Last Updated: October, 8, 2018
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
I love your step by step instructions and lovely photos. The cake looks delicious!
Thank you. The cake was light and fluffy
Liz
Looks delicious! would definitely try sometime later and let you know
Oh yes please give me a feedback if you do. I have just been admiring your blog. Nice photos and great recipes. Have a lovely week!
Liz
This looks so light and fluffy!
Thank you, Miss Dinie. It tasted really good!
liuz
Mine came out heavy and not so soft. I think I used too much flour..
It would be nice if you could actually weigh the flour and butter. That’s the only foolproof method for baking cakes. Also you need to use at least a hand mixer and really beat the eggs and butter until they are very light and fluffy. Also when folding in the flour you need to do it gently so that you don’t lose the air you incorporated during beating. Try it again and you’ll see. It will work just fine. have a lovely day!
luz
Thank you! 😀
You’re welcome!
Liz
Looks delish! I enjoy lime as well, it’s nice to be different now and then.
Lime is always my preferred choice when it comes to zest. It’s so lovely
Liz
Looks moist.stepwise method make it easy for follow
Very easy to make and extra tasty. Thanks have a lovely day. I’m just planning to sleep…
Liz
What a cool step,by step photo guide,….Mmmmmmmmm
Thank you, Sophie.
😋😋
What a beautiful cake. It looks moist and delicious!
Thank you Julie. Have a pleasant day!
I’ll bet it’s also very fragrant? I love lime in baking too, I find it much more flavorful. I might just borrow this recipe and give it a try. Thanks for posting it. There is just something about cake like this on a rainy day! Perhaps we see it as a comfort food? I associate it with my gramma who was a wonderful cook and had a very sweet tooth! Her house always smelled of cake or cookies or some other aromatic food cooking! I am a failure in this respect, I don’t very often bake anymore! I will for Christmas but I’ll have to give it all away as I’ll be gone on my trip! Enjoy the rest of your week Liz!
Oh Sandy, it has a lovely aroma, and taste. Lime has the best zest and aroma too. Please borrow any recipe you want at any time. I know I bake because I have kids so it means they can eat what I make. Once they go away who will I be baking for??? I hope to bake some giveaway fruitcakes for christmas, too. Enjoy the week, Sandy. Ours is sunny and warm and happy. LOL!!!
Liz
Yummmmmm
Yum! I prefer lime over lemon too, Liz. I also love a good cake with citrus in it!
I’m so glad we feel the same about lime. Thank you, Debbie!
Liz
I printed this and will try it soon!! Thanks for sharing! Tina
Thank you. It’s a very good cake. Hope you enjoy it the way we did!
Liz