[Recipe] Madeira Cake
Sep. 11th, 2026 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuuagoAhh, I just remembered that I had intended to post the recipe for the lemon cake that I made the other day. So, here it is. As I mentioned previously, I thought this one was nice but not impressive; my family loved it, though.
This is from The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk.
Ingredients:
For the cake layers:
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g) sugar
4 large eggs
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp lemon oil (optional)
1 cup (245g) sour cream
1 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (48g) almond flour
4 tsp (16g) baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
For the candied lemons
2 lemons
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/3 cup (79ml) water
For glaze
1/4 cup (59ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 cups (250g) confectioners sugar
Instructions:
01. Preheat oven to 335F (168C). Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. Grease sides.
02. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add lemon zest, lemon oil, and sour cream; mix well.
03. In a separate bowl, combine flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt. Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until combined.
04. Divide batter between two pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Cook completely.
05. Prepare candied lemon slices: Slice the lemons into thin slices. Combine sugar and water in a large frying pan; cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Add lemon slices in one layer; cook over medium heat until lemon becomes translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer slices to a wire rack to cool. Retain lemon-sugar syrup for soaking the cake layers.
06. Soak the cooled cake layers in lemon syrup. Meanwhile, prepare lemon glaze. Combine freshly-squeezed lemon juice with confectioners sugar. Adjust sugar to reach desired consistency. Pour half of glaze over first cake layer, and remaining over second layer. Garnish cake with candied slices.
My notes:
- Depending on the size of your lemons, you might only need 1 lemon for the candied slices. I cut up two and only needed about half of them.
- I only had a tiered wire rack available. I do not recommend using something like this for the candied slices. It was a PAIN IN THE ASS to clean. You might be better off just drying them on waxed paper or somesuch instead, if you're in my situation.
- I used 9-inch pans as that was all I had; result turned out fine. 35 minutes in the oven was the right amount for that size.
- The recipe does not suggest slicing off part of the tops of the cake layers, but it's something worth trying, so that the syrup can sink in more easily. I didn't do it this time, but I wish I had.
This is from The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk.
Ingredients:
For the cake layers:
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g) sugar
4 large eggs
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp lemon oil (optional)
1 cup (245g) sour cream
1 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (48g) almond flour
4 tsp (16g) baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
For the candied lemons
2 lemons
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/3 cup (79ml) water
For glaze
1/4 cup (59ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 cups (250g) confectioners sugar
Instructions:
01. Preheat oven to 335F (168C). Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. Grease sides.
02. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add lemon zest, lemon oil, and sour cream; mix well.
03. In a separate bowl, combine flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt. Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until combined.
04. Divide batter between two pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Cook completely.
05. Prepare candied lemon slices: Slice the lemons into thin slices. Combine sugar and water in a large frying pan; cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Add lemon slices in one layer; cook over medium heat until lemon becomes translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer slices to a wire rack to cool. Retain lemon-sugar syrup for soaking the cake layers.
06. Soak the cooled cake layers in lemon syrup. Meanwhile, prepare lemon glaze. Combine freshly-squeezed lemon juice with confectioners sugar. Adjust sugar to reach desired consistency. Pour half of glaze over first cake layer, and remaining over second layer. Garnish cake with candied slices.
My notes:
- Depending on the size of your lemons, you might only need 1 lemon for the candied slices. I cut up two and only needed about half of them.
- I only had a tiered wire rack available. I do not recommend using something like this for the candied slices. It was a PAIN IN THE ASS to clean. You might be better off just drying them on waxed paper or somesuch instead, if you're in my situation.
- I used 9-inch pans as that was all I had; result turned out fine. 35 minutes in the oven was the right amount for that size.
- The recipe does not suggest slicing off part of the tops of the cake layers, but it's something worth trying, so that the syrup can sink in more easily. I didn't do it this time, but I wish I had.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.