Chapter 1, Recipe 1 – Madeira Cake

 

Hands are washed and we are ready to go.

This is a really simple recipe; everything gets put into a bowl and beaten together at the same time – what could possibly go wrong?……………I am really hoping this proves to be a fun way to spend time with my daughter.  I don’t want it to turn into some sort of comedy of errors – although entertaining for the reader, frustrating and heartbreaking for Charlie and me.  If it goes wrong however, I will tell you and if I loose my temper, I will tell you – this is real life baking with an uncoordinated 10 year old and a impatient control freak mother – lord help us!

Apparently, when you are doing an all in one recipe like this, it is essential that the butter is a creamy spreading consistency before mixing (don’t know why, just is)  I don’t have a food mixer or processor and have always mixed by hand or used one of those stick mixers – the only problem with this is that when you put everything in the bowl at the same time, its stiff and hard to beat.  My stick mixer didn’t cope and as a result I don’t think it was mixed enough.  I should explain, I have a slight touch of tennis elbow and Charlotte is a novice beater so it really wasn’t mixed enough.  I think we are going to have to invest in a Food Mixer/Kitchen Aid – a little Internet research in order for this week for me.

The mix was mixed and ready to pour into Charlotte’s new shiny new tin. We transferred it to the oven and waited the allotted time, adding the lemon half way thru.  We took it out 10 mins early as we thought it looked cooked and tested with a skewer and was clean.  It smelt lovely. 

Mary’s tip for this cake is:
 
“ if a fruit or Madeira cake has a slight dip in the center when it comes out of the oven, turn on to the baking parchment on the cooling rack upside down.  The action of gravity and the weight of the cake will level the top while it cools”


Now that tip is all very well if you have a “dint” in your cake, but what if you have a hill – unusual for Holland I know, but we had a little hill in our cake.  Now was it because the mix was not even in the tin or just not mixed enough? Anyway, turning it upside down on the cooling rack didn’t solve our “hump” problem.  Nevertheless, Charlotte was so proud, this is her very first cake completed totally by herself without any major hickups or loss of patience, and do you know what ….. It tastes pretty good too – hump or not! 

Now bring on the Victoria Sandwich....