This old fashioned Lemon and Lime Madeira cake is buttery, light and full of citrus flavour. If you like plain cakes, you’ll love a slice with a cup of tea or coffee.
I firmly believe that the “old school” recipes are the best. What can be nicer than a slice of Victoria sponge, date and walnut loaf or a lemon drizzle cake?
I must confess that Madeira cake always sounded a little boring and plain to me…but after one taste I was sold. It’s very light, buttery and moist – anything but boring! It really is a lovely, lovely cake.
I love infusing bakes with citrus flavours, so I’ve given the classic Madeira loaf cake a little “zing” of lemon and lime. If you’re a fan of citrusy bakes, I’m sure you’ll love it!
A well-baked Madeira cake should have a characteristic “crack” down the middle. It can be hard to achieve, but it’s not impossible. The way you beat the cake batter has quite a lot to do with it, but I’ve learned a very nifty trick from the winner of the first Great British Bake Off, Ed Kimber.
It’s a very easy but effective tip. All you need to do is simply place a line of melted butter right down the middle of the batter before you place it in the oven. When you pull the cake from the oven, it will be perfectly” split” down the middle.
ingredient notes
For a full list of ingredient amounts and detailed instructions on how to make this recipe, please scroll to the end of the post for a printable recipe card.
- A proper Madeira cake needs real butter. You just won’t get the same flavour with a baking spread or margarine.
- the finely grated zest and juice of lemons and two limes, preferably unwaxed.
- caster sugar (if you only have granulated sugar, whizz it slightly in a blender to make the grains finer)
- self-raising flour
- ground almonds
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- For the icing:
- Icing sugar
- Juice of half a lemon and a lime
how to make a lemon and lime madeira cake
1. Place the caster sugar in a bowl and using your fingers, rub the lemon and lime zest into the sugar until it is slightly damp and fragrant. This “locks” the citrus flavour into the sugar. It makes a huge difference, I promise.
2. When the sugar is damp and the citrus smell is intense, add the soft butter, eggs, self-raising flour and ground almonds.
3. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mixture on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until everything is well combined. Using a scraper, scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Swap the mixer for a large metal spoon and fold in the juice of the zested lemon and lime.
5. Spoon the cake mixture into a greased and lined 2lb (900g) loaf tin.
6. If you’re doing the melted butter trick, dip a dough or bench scraper in melted butter (you only need about 1 teaspoon) and very gently make a line down the middle of the cake. You don’t need to press hard – go nice and gently.
7. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake has risen and is golden brown. A cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should emerge with no wet batter.
8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.
9. When the cake is completely cold, pour the lemon-lime icing glaze all over the top and leave to set (about 30 minutes) before slicing.
can i use a different cake tin?
Yes. This recipe will also work in a 18cm round cake tin. The baking time will be roughly the same.
storing madeira cake
Madeira cake is a good keep cake. It will be fine for about 5 days in a airtight container or cake box. I can’t bear dry cake, so I wrap it in a layer each of baking paper and tin foil to try and keep it as fresh as possible.
freezing
To freeze the cake, wrap the entire cake (or individual slices) in double layers of cling film and tin foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
MORE classic cake recipes
Lemon and Lime Madeira Cake
This zesty lemon and lime Madeira cake is an easy one bowl bake that's perfect with a cup of tea!
Ingredients
- 175g soft butter
- Grated zest and juice of two lemons
- Grated zest and juice of two limes
- 175g caster sugar
- 225g self raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- For the melted butter trick (optional):
- 1 teaspoon butter, melted and cooled
- For the icing glaze:
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 or 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4.
- Measure out the sugar in a large bowl and using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is damp and fragrant.
- Add the butter, flour, ground almonds and eggs and beat for one minute until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the lemon and lime juice.
- Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface. Dip a bench or dough scraper in the melted butter and very gently make a line down the middle of the cake. The aim is to get a neat(ish) line of butter down the middle. You could also use a small piping bag to make the line.
- Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix the icing sugar with the juice until you have a fairly thick icing that will still run off the back of a spoon. Pour over the cold cake and leave to set before slicing.
Notes
This cake can also be made in a 18cm round cake tin.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 429Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 478mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 36gProtein: 6g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Ooooh, I like the idea of almonds in the mixture – I bet it makes it lovely and moist.
Wow this looks amazing! I love how simple it is too. Lemon cakes are one of my favorites <3
http://madelinemarieblog.com/
this looks lovely – bet it was zesty and moist too x
I think adding ground almonds definitely help 🙂
Thanks Madeline! Lemon cake is one of my favourites 🙂
Thanks Jenny, it went down very well with my colleagues!
I love the sound of a lemon lime madeira cake, yum!! Laura@ Baking in Pyjamas
Thanks Laura 🙂
What a pretty cake – that’s Sunday afternoon comfort food in a nutshell!
Thanks, it’s a recipe I’ll turn to often! 🙂
I love the sound of this but can’t have almonds, could I leave the ground almonds out or substitute with something else. TIa
Hi Jayne, you can substitute the almonds for the same amount of flour 🙂