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Muscovado Madeira cake

This classic English cake got its name from the sweet Madeira wine that it was traditionally served with back in the eighteenth century. Nowadays it’s more often eaten with tea, although if you do have a bottle of Madeira or dessert wine, it would go perfectly with either of those. This version is flavoured with the deep molasses sweetness of muscovado (soft brown) sugar. It’s a versatile recipe and you could include a handful of glace cherries, the finely grated zest of an orange or even a teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you like, adding these at the same time as the flour. (See also the additional variations.)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40–45 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves: 6–8

175g (6oz) butter, softened

175g (6oz) dark soft brown sugar

5 eggs

275g (10oz) self-raising flour

900g (2lb) loaf tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then line the base and sides of the loaf tin with baking parchment, with the paper coming above the sides of the tin to enable the cake to be lifted out easily.

Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for just a few seconds until mixed, then gradually add them to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and fold in gently to combine. Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully lift the cake out of the tin using the baking parchment, then peel away the paper and leave on a wire rack to finish cooling down.

Lemon Madeira cake

Make the cake as above, substituting caster sugar for the brown sugar and adding the finely grated zest of 1 lemon to the mixture with the eggs.

Coffee Madeira cake

Replace the brown sugar with caster sugar and mix in 3 tablespoons of coffee essence (Camp or Irel) with the eggs before adding to the batter.

Tip If any of this cake is left over, you could use it for making Cake pops.