Madeira cake: Difference between revisions

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'''Madeira cake''' is a [[sponge cake|sponge]] or [[butter cake]] in traditional [[CuisineBritish of Englandcuisine|EnglishBritish]] cookeryand [[Irish cuisine|Irish]] cookery.

==Name Origin ==

It is sometimes mistakenly thought to originate from the [[Madeira|Madeira Islands]]; however,Islands thatbut iswas notin the case as it was insteadfact named after [[Madeira wine]], a Portuguese wine from the islands, which was popular in England atin the timemid-1800s and was often served with the cake.<ref name=chef>{{cite book|title=The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional|first1=Glenn|last1=Rinsky|first2=Laura|last2=Halpin Rinsky|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2008|isbn=978-0-470-00955-0|page=170}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Baking Cookbook|publisher=Murdoch Books|year=2005|isbn=978-1-74045-542-8|page=59}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A slice and a sip|work=[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]|location=Woodland Park|date=5 March 1997|first=Patricia|last=Mack}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Paradise island|work=[[Chester Chronicle]]|location=Chester|date=10 March 2011|first=Debbie|last=Murray}}</ref> The confusion arises because Madeirans produce their own traditional Madeira cake – {{lang|pt|[[bolo de mel]]}}, a dark, spicy, and honey cakeflavoured – which is very different from its English counterpart.<ref>{{cite news|title=Island Fling: Class of Madeira and a Touch of Scotland in the Tropics|work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|date=22 June 1996|last=Nouillan|first=Mark}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Suitable Time to Dress to Kill|work=[[Daily Mail]]|location=London|date=20 December 2008|first=Charles|last=Legge}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Strolling through a Corner of Paradise|work=[[North Wales Daily Post|Daily Post]]|location=Liverpool|date=27 January 2007|first=Laura|last=Wurzal}}</ref> Nowadays, it is often served with [[tea]] or [[liqueurs]].<ref name=cake/>

== Cake ==

The cake has a firm yet light texture. It is eaten with tea or (occasionally) for breakfast and is traditionally flavoured with lemon.<ref name=simple>{{cite web|title=English Madeira Cake|url=http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-0o12363.html|year=2010|accessdateaccess-date=17 April 2015|work=cookitsimply}}</ref> Nowadays, the English Madeira cake is often served with tea or liqueurs.<ref name=cake /> Dating back to an original recipe in the 18th or 19th century,<ref name=chef /><ref name=cake>{{cite web|url=http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/food_articles/cake_history.htm|work=The Mediadrome|title=The Peerless Cake Baker: The Surprising History of The Cake|first=Helen |last=Stringer|accessdateaccess-date=17 April 2015|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629001714/http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/food_articles/cake_history.htm|archivedatearchive-date=29 June 2009|date=10 July 2001}}</ref> Madeira cake is similar to a [[pound cake]] or yellow cake.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pound for Pound, a Dessert Heavyweight|work=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]|location=Winnipeg|date=29 March 2014|last=Muller|first=Keith}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Microwave cake baking offers improved textural properties|work=Emerging Food R&D Report|date=1 April 2007}}</ref> One of the earliest published recipes was by [[Eliza Acton]] in her ''[[Modern Cookery for Private Families]]'' (1845):<ref>{{cite news|title=Cake which raised the spirits|work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]|location=Glasgow|date=16 November 2002|first=Catherine|last=Brown}}</ref> {{quote|A Good Madeira Cake: Whisk four fresh eggs until they are as light as possible, then, continuing still to whisk them, throw by slow degrees the following ingredients in the order in which they are written: six ounces of dry pounded and sifted sugar; six of flour, also dried and sifted; four ounces of butter just dissolved, but not heated; the rind of a fresh lemon; and the instant before the cake is moulded beat well in the third of a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda: bake an hour in a moderate oven.}}

==See alsoReferences ==