Showing off for the neighbour

Or ex-neighbour, actually: today my old neighbour Vera came to have a look around my new place. Since I love showing off my little house, I was more than happy to welcome her visit - and as an added bonus, it gave me an excuse to bake a cake for afternoon tea.


I chose Madeira cake (p51), so-called, I believe, because it is traditionally served with Madeira wine. Well, I didn't have any Madeira on offer: a cuppa would have to do.

Like most cakes, this recipe begins with creaming butter and sugar. Lemon zest is then stirred through the creamed mixture. Normally, you'd start beating in eggs at this point, but for this recipe, you actually beat the eggs in a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder in a third bowl, and add the eggs and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture.


I'd prepared a 20cm cake tin, but shortly before spooning the mixture into it, I realised that the recipe actually said a square tin. I considered getting out a square one, but since the round one was right in front of me, I decided to go ahead and use it, placing the cake in the oven for 40 minutes, after which it came out a light golden brown and perfectly cooked.

Vera duly arrived and admired my new abode. We sat down to chat with a cuppa and a slice of Madeira cake each. It's a fairly plain sort of cake, much like a butter cake with a very subtle hint of lemon. It's soft, sweet, and pleasant to eat, but unfortunately quite forgettable.


I now find myself with three-quarters of a cake that will almost certainly dry out before I can eat much of it. I suspect it has custard in its future..