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,Madeira for stacking as a two tier birthday cake -help!!

(8 Posts)
paddyann Wed 05-Sep-18 18:50:03

Just made two 8 inch madeira style cakes ,I made them as my daughters birthday cake .I've used this recipe a hundred times or more over the years and never had a problem with it .BOTH came out sunken ! Anyone have an idea why ?Could it be an oven issue? I really want to get the basic cakes made before the end of the week and decorate them by Monday .Alternatively have you got a failsafe recipe for Madeira ?

Maggiemaybe Wed 05-Sep-18 19:42:40

Well this is my go-to recipe for a 9” slightly citrussy Madeira cake, paddyann, when I want something stackable or something dense that I can carve into whatever monstrosity the DGS have plumped for. It's never let me down (but then you say yours hasn't disappointed before either, so it's probably an oven issue, as you say). I always scoop a deep indentation in the mixture before I put mine in the oven as, if anything, I can get a slight dome, rather than it sinking.

12oz softened unsalted butter
12oz caster sugar
1lb plain flour
2.5 teasp baking powder
(or 12oz SR, 6oz plain without the baking powder)
6 large eggs
2 tblsp lemon/orange juice
Grated rind of an orange
1.5 teaspoon glycerine (optional, but helps make it moist)

Grease and line tin.
Cream butter and sugar very well. Sift flour at least twice. Beat in eggs 1 at a time (with a spoonful of flour after each). Fold rest of flours in, then the rind and juice, and glycerine if using.
Into prepared tin, hollow centre. Bake at gas mark 3, 2 hours in my oven, though the original recipe said 1 hour 40 mins.
Cool 5 mins in tin, turn out.

I read that baking it with a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven helps produce a moist cake, so I do that. Who knows whether it helps or not? smile

paddyann Wed 05-Sep-18 21:15:38

thats more or less the recipe I used .no glycerine in mine .I think I better get my oven checked tomorrow .Thanks Maggiemaybe Appreciated .

Maggiemaybe Wed 05-Sep-18 22:14:32

You’re welcome. smile

Jalima1108 Wed 05-Sep-18 22:27:50

I was going to ask if you have an oven thermometer p;addyann so that you can check that the temperature is correct.

Hope it turns out well. My cakes have not been so good since I had a fan oven.

ps can you freeze the sunken ones for the Christmas trifle?

paddyann Thu 06-Sep-18 00:58:30

done just that Jalima fairly sure its a problem with my oven so I'll get it baked tomorrow all going well.Its her 40th and a cake is a essential part of her day .Sunken cake in freezer already,great minds think alike ..lol

BBbevan Thu 06-Sep-18 07:13:42

My grandmother always called it Sawdust cake. Perhaps because of how she made it ?

Auntieflo Thu 06-Sep-18 08:30:26

My children used to ask for Ginger Disaster Cake, after a mishap that proved to be popular smile