Madeira cake is one of my favourites. It seems wholesome and homely, even if it is full of butter and sugar! My grandad used to love a hunk of Madeira with a piping hot tea, sweetened with half a bowl of sugar. I made these little cakes for the OH, as he too likes a plain and simple cake. I came home that evening and found him spreading butter onto the Madeira cake . I had to laugh, as that’s exactly how my grandad ate his. It turns out that’s how the his Dad ate his too. I personally like mine just as they are without extra butter.We were recently in Scotland and I got to pay a visit to one of my favourite kitchen shops Lakeland. While I there I picked up these adorable little cake cases. I like the fact that they are square, rather than the traditional round cup case. They also look very cute, but still substantial enough to hold their shape. They are perfectly portable and make great little gift cakes.
Ingedients
- 6oz butter, at room temperature
- 6oz caster sugar
- 3 free-range eggs
- 9oz self-raising flour
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add a tablespoon of flour in with each egg to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Next, gently fold in the sifted flour. Add just enough milk so that the mixture falls slowly from the spoon. Fold in the vanilla extract.
Spoon the mixture into the cardboard cases or a greased cake tin.Level off the batter, using the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until just golden-brown. To test if it’s ready, stick a skewer or sharp knife into the centre. If the skewer/knife comes out clean, the cake is ready. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
