39 Comments

1. Hi Emma, do you make to order, please?

   1. Sorry, I only make cakes for friends and family. It’s just for fun.

      Thanks for asking though

      1. Hi Emma
         I don’t suppose you know how to get a high gloss long-lasting and non-sticky finish on fondant without using a steamer? I tried mixing vodka 50/50 with corn syrup but when I painted it on the fondant I ended up with very stick patches of shiny gloop here and there. I’ve also tried 3 parts vodka to 1 part corn syrup with a better effect but still extremely sticky. Not surprisingly I no longer have any vodka in the bottle…

2. Hi Emma, was looking for your Madeira cake sizing page (round and square 8″ 9″ 10″) but can’t find it – cam you point me in the right direction, also, I have made this cake a lot and it is wonderful but how to I turn it into a chocolate Madeira cake? How much cocoa to add and how much flour do I omit? Can you help please? Thank you! Joanne x

   1. Hello,

      Thanks for your question. You’ve given me an idea for a future post! Chocolate Madeira cake! Nom, nom.
      To change my basic Madeira recipe into a chocolate version swap 50g of the flour for cocoa. You can also add some cocoa to the buttercream to make it chocolatey.

      I am currently re-testing the ingredients needed for different size cake tins as I wasn’t completely happy with the original results I had. I’ll be posting it in a month or two. It takes a lot of baking/eating to test every tin size! In the mean time… I would use this recipe for both the 8 & 9″ as there will only be a little difference in the height of the cake. I would double the ingredients for a 10″ cake (or even triple it if you want it to be taller – say around 2″ tall)

      I hope that helps

      EmmaMT

      1. i m!…i hope you put up a christmas fruit cake receipeake cakes for family and friends and i must tell you they are the most delicious cakes i have ever made….thankyou from the bottom of my heart Emma…i cannot fault the receipes…………..

      2. Ooohhh that’s a great idea. It’s time to make it now isn’t it? I shall have to buy a ton of dried fruit this week.

         Thanks for your lovely comment

         EmmaMT

3. How do you make the sugar paste, im going to try and make this for my brothers birthday hes a mindcraft freak

   1. Hello,

      I buy all my sugarpaste ready coloured from my local cake decorating store. I get pretty much everything from them. They have a pretty brilliant website and deliver all over the UK (are you in the UK?) Their link is below.

      Good luck with your cake.

      EmmaMT

      http://www.cakecraftworld.co.uk/

4. Hello, I was directed to your site from the Country Homes and Interiors April 13 issue for an Easter cake recipe which looked amazing – but I can’t see it? can you help
   thanks. Lesley

   1. Hello,

      Thanks for stopping by. The post you are looking for is here..
      https://cakesbakesandcookies.com/2013/03/22/country-homes-interiors-and-the-easter-cake/

      Hope you like it.

      EmmaMT

5. I LOVE YOU!
   You may have just saved my life! I’ve recently started doing cakes for relatives, friends and colleagues and have always made Victoria sponge because I’ve had complete failure with madeira cake – until last night.
   I followed your recipe for the 9″ cake to the letter and left it alone for the full 55 minutes but I put it in my small oven.
   I came back to it to find it was a little bit overbaked but IT WASN’T DRY, WOOHOO!. This was my first test really and I used top and bottom heat instead of fan and set it at 180. So, next time should I stick with 180 and use my normal size oven and check just before 55 mins do you think? Or should I use my smaller oven again and try on a lower temperature or a shorter time or both?
   I got a rise of 1.5 inches, which is probably not enough but the cake was really moist apart from the crispy edges. Should it have risen more?
   It was delicious! I had to have a piece after I’d filled it with raspberry jam and buttercream with white chocolate added.
   I’ve never had a problem with Victoria sponge buckling under the weight of fondant but I’m keen to have a sturdier cake so I think this is the way to go. I split the butter 50/50 between a supermarket’s own packet butter and Flora and for the buttercream I used President as you suggested.
   My sincere thanks to you and your mum for this recipe which I just stumbled across. It was meant to be!

   1. Ah thanks. You made my day after reading that comment!

      The cake should rise to around 2″ but it’s hard to judge as everyone’s oven bakes differently. I tend to use my larger oven to bake in as the air circulates better. I never bake with the fan as it always ends in an uneven cake and I think the cakes dry out more.

      Tips for next time-
      -Really blend the butters and sugar until they are properly pale and fluffy. This is where lots of air is incorporated and that’s a lot of what makes the cake rise.
      – Add the egg slowly and beat really well each time.
      – place the cake mix in the oven straight away and don’t be tempted to open the oven door for the first 30 minutes.
      – Invest in an oven thermometer as even when my oven was new it was never at the same temperature inside as the dial stated. You may find that your oven is hotter than 180º and that’s why it baked so quickly. I would check on your cake after 30 minutes and then see how it’s looking.

      I hope that helps

      EmmaMT

6. Hi Emma,
   I have just baked your Madeira cake. I used a 10″ tin, however it sank in the middle! I haven’t ever had a problem with sinking cakes before, and I am pretty sure I weighed everything out correctly. Do you have any idea why it didn’t rise?
   Thanks,

   Louisa

   1. Hi Louisa,

      I’m sorry your cake sank in the middle. The most common reason for this happening is that the oven door was opened before the centre of the cake had risen. The cold air rushing in stops the air in the cake rising and cools the mix too quickly.
      When baking cakes you should avoid opening the oven door till at least half way through the bake. I tend to wait till about 3/4 of the way through the bake.
      If you have an oven without a window in the door I would say wait till you can smell the cake in your kitchen before you open the oven door. This is a sign that the cake is nearly baked to perfection.

      Hope that helps

      EmmaMT

   2. Hi,
      I am just about to make your 10inch and only have large eggs? Is that ok?
      Thanx loads
      Emma

      1. Hello,

         Sorry I’ve been shooting this week so I haven’t been on-line much. Hope your cake turned out beautifully. I use large eggs for my cakes but they still come out well with medium ones.

         Hope that helps

         EmmaMT

7. dear Emma, I have had a Bosch 3D Air oven for 2 years now,I don.t seem to get very good results,they are dry,no matter how I fiddle with times and temperatures.I used to be able to get really lovely results from my previous’fan oven’.any ideas.
   Just found your website,looks brilliant.

   1. Hello,

      I’m afraid I haven’t used an air oven before. I have recently been adding a bowl of water to my oven when I bake my madeira cakes and that has resulted in a more moist cake. That might be a good solution for you. Make sure it’s an oven proof dish you fill with water and also check that you have enough water so that it won’t all evaporate out before the cake is finished baking. You don’t want to open the oven door too early.

      Let me know how you get on.

      EmmaMT

8. Hi, I have just discovered your blog and am going to try your recipe for my Daughter’s peppa pig 2nd birthday cake (it’s in less than 2 weeks!). As the recipe I was using before just wasn’t light enough. I just wondered what your buttercream recipe is? Thanks!
   Jenny

   1. Hello,

      Thanks for your questions. I basically use twice the amount of icing sugar to butter, so 50g butter to 100g icing sugar. I then add a few drops of vanilla essence for flavour and a splash or two of milk to soften it up. You can see my post on buttercream recipes and quantities on the link below

      I used to only use my stand mixer to make everything but now I mainly use my hand held mixer. It’s fast and powerful and makes everything fluff up nicely.
      I try to fold in the flour but I’m too impatient and usually end up whisking it quickly.

      I hope that helps. Good luck with your cake

      EmmaMT
      
      Buttercream link

      1. Thank you! I was wondering, I’m making a 12″ square cake to cut into several bits, should I just use the 12″ round recipe?

      2. Hello, Yes that should be fine to bake the 12″ round recipe. It should rise up a lot as there is less mixture to weigh it down and I use both essence and extract. Extract has a cleaner taste but it’s usually more expensive. You can also use almond essence/extract. That makes an amazing Madeira cake.

         Hope that helps

         EmmaMT

      3. and does it matter if i use extract instead of essence? thanks!

      4. Hi Emma,
         I’d just like to say I used your recipe before and it was fantastic! Tasted fabulous and was so light! Not like all the others I’ve tried before.
         I’m planning on using the chocolate one this week to make my other halfs birthday cake. I’m sure it’ll be just as lovely as the vanilla one. Thank you!

      5. Thanks. What a lovely comment to receive.

         EmmaMT
         x

9. Hi sorry, also do you mix everything with an electric mixer or do you fold in the flour? Thank you.

10. Hi Emma

    Can you please post the recipe quantities for a 14″ madeira cake.

    Thanks

    1. Hello, You can get the measurements for a 14″ cake on this post. Or search FAQ on the home page and it’ll pop up.

       https://cakesbakesandcookies.com/?s=14%22+madeira+cake

       EmmaMT

11. Hi Emma
    Just baked yr recipe 8in Madeira and it’s come out fab, such a light sponge but firm. Just one prob not quite done in the middle. I’ve did in my fan cven at 160 but also wrapped brown paper round the outside as with some other recipes I’ve used. Any advice very welcome as I think yr recipe is the best I’ve found.

    Thank you
    Sara

    1. Hello,

       Was the cake baked on the outside? Normally wrapping the cake solves this problem. I’ve been doing it for ages and it makes such a difference to my cakes

       EmmaMT

12. Hi Emma,
    Thank you for your lovely madeira cake recipe, the cake is absolutely lush! Do you by any chance have a devils food cake recipe?
    Thanks,
    Rita

    1. Sorry, I’ve never made devils good cake. It does sound good though. Maybe I should give it a go!

       EmmaMT

13. Hi do you have a recipe for white chocolate ganache I’m looking to fill and cover a 10inch cake, before sugerpastng for a birthday cake, thank you

    1. Hi Debbie,

       So sorry for the long awaited reply. I took a bit of a break over half term to spend time with my daughters.

       I don’t like white chocolate so I haven’t had a play with white chocolate ganache. I am sure it would be fine to just substitute the dark chocolate with the white when you add it to the hot cream. As long as you pop the cake in the fridge to chill when you apply the buttercream so it can harden up – before you add the sugar paste it should be fine. (I feel a cake coming on!)

       Have a look at this post for a recipe for ganache. This ganache is my favorite but it is quite runny. You may find it easier to use the recipe in this post where the ganache is added to a buttercream base for covering a cake as it will be just a tad firmer.

       I hope that helps

       EmmaMT

14. Can you freeze Maderia cakes in advance? I plan to make a chocolate, lemon and vanilla three tier cake for my son’s wedding reception. Plan to freeze them a fortnight before the wedding which is abroad. The week we come home. I intend to defrost the cakes on the Wednesday, crumb coat on the Thursday and use sugar paste to cover them on the Friday. Stack and transport to reception on the Saturday.

    1. Hello,

       Madeira cake freezes really well when it’s not covered in buttercream or sugarpaste. Have a look at this post for more details.

       I hope that helps

       EmmaMT

15. I would love to make this cake in a 20 cm (so 7 and a half inch) tin. How would the recipe change for this. Would I just use the 4 egg mix or another calculation? Thanks. Xx

    1. Hello,

       I’m sure you’ve baked this cake by now but for future reference you can either measure the volume of the tin to see how much liquid it holds and compare it to the chart here (Cake Ingredients post)

       Or I would probably have used the 7″ recipe as the difference is so small and a little less cake mix will just allow the cake to rise a bit more.

       Hope that helps – all be it a bit late!

       EmmaMT

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