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Hi
Does anybody have any tips on making very large madeira cakes? I just put an 11inch madeira cake into the oven but it was a struggle to get the flours all mixed in. I have a 5 litre capacity Kenwood K mixer and though it would be enough for my machine but I’d to fold the flour in in two lots. I used the wiper blade for this purpose but all the time I was concerned that the batter wasn’t getting into the oven on time and the cake might not rise properly. The recipe is from one of Lindy’s books.
On a slightly different note I had a disappointment with an 11inch cake I baked yesterday. It was supposedly a fool proof sponge cake (madeira sponge with S.R. flour only). Madeitwithlove advised putting in plain flour too, wish I had. But I wanted to trial this new recipe which I got from the internet. The sponge shrank considerably from the edges of the tin and the cake is dense and compacted on the inside. Hence having had to make cake no. 2 this evening. I am making the madeira cake, currently in oven, into a Fireman Sam cake. Any help would be great thanks. xx

Hi bellscakes

I’m sorry to hear about your last cake. I believe I said I use a recipe which uses both s/r and plain flour. I wouldn’t have changed the recipe you were using because I’ve never baked
madeira with just s/r. Unfortunately madeira cake can sometimes be compact and dry. That is one of the reasons why a lot of people prefer not to make it. I always make Jane Horby’s zingy lemon cake which uses both self raising and plain flour.
Here’s another ‘foolproof sponge’ as recommended by a site member:

Foolproof sponge recipe

When I do a big mix I use the low setting of my Kenwood to fold the flour in, doing it by hand is a nightmare.
To help the dryness you could add a teaspoon of glycerine to the batter, bake on a low heat approx 150c or 130c fan for longer than the given time. Some bakers place a bowl of water in the oven to make the atmosphere humid thus preventing drying out.
I’ve never baked Lindy Smith’s madeira, although I know lots of people who have had very good results with it. Here’s another recipe:
http://www.debbiebrownscakes.co.uk/recipes_tips.php
If you type in the search box ‘madeira cake’ there are other related discussions which you may find useful.
Keeping finger crossed for your next cake! xx

Hi madeitwithlove

Thanks very much for all your help and suggested links too. I am really happy to say that my madeira cake turned out beautifully with the exception of a tiny core of dough toward the middle of the cake which is barely noticeable. I think I may just remove it with a small sharp knife. It took almost another hour to cook over the recommended time. However I have frozen it ready for use in a couple of weeks time. I actually thought of putting a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven as I do when I am baking a large fruit cake. I will try it the next time I make a madeira cake though. Thanks again. x

That’s really good news bellscakes. I’m so pleased you’ve had a successful bake. I home the fireman Sam turns out great. x