The recipe is very straightforward - a variation on a basic sponge, with ground almonds and lemon zest givin it the distinctive madeira taste. Instead of icing, you sprinkle some citron peel (I used standard candied peel) on the top of the cake partway through baking.
Pretty and tasty, but potentially lethal! |
Needless to say, in addition to 3 cakes, a fair amount of alcohol was consumed, and it was sheer luck that someone asked me what goes into a madeira cake as the cakes were being cut. It turns out that one of our friends is allergic to nuts, and if he hadn't heard me saying their were ground almonds in the cake, he may very well have had a slice! (eek!) I didn't ask just how bad his reaction could have been but this serves as a reminder that when baking with nuts, especially 'hidden' nuts, you should always warn everyone that might eat your baked goods!
Baking for others can be a minefield, as I bake for my History Group and I have to take into consideration that one person has a nut allergy, another doesn't like fruit or cheese, and a couple are vegetarians. That limits my options considerably, but you can't please everybody, so I have to make sure that list what is in it, just to cover myself. It also takes the fun out of baking for others a bit.
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