I have a confession. I made this cake a while back, say about two weeks ago. So why didn’t I post it? Well my computer is ill right now, and all the chicken soup in the world will not cure it. I really should take it to the computer repair shop, but quite frankly, I really don’t want to hear how much money a simple fan replacement procedure may cost my bank balance. It’s a sort of burying my head in the sand approach of which I have chosen to take. My fan dying on me causes my computer to be slow, and only being able to do one thing at a time. Playing music and podcasts is a no no, uploading pictures is one hell of a nightmare so blogging has been out of the question recently. (I’m having to use a different computer right now) To top it off, my bicycle got stolen from outside my flat the other night, anger and heartbreak filled my being and I hated all of society for about a week until I calmed down and realised, things could be a whole lot worse. That is the main life lesson I am beginning to crack at the moment. As long as I have good company and baked goods, well, I’m bloody lucky.

I really wish I could post everyday. But for now, my sporadic posts will have to do.

This is a recipe from Nigella. Yeah, Nigella, we’re on first name terms now.

I have never made a Madeira cake before, such a simple thing to do, and quite satisfying when I got that caramelised topping on the surface where the cake cracks right down the middle.

This cake was perfect with a blob of creme fraiche and a cup of tea. The sponge was so light it literally melted in the mouth. So thanks to Nigella’s mother-in-law’s recipe, this made a rainy tuesday afternoon a little more cosy.

In the original recipe, it calls for plain flour, I made the mistake of not adding it in as I completely forgot however it didn’t seem to matter to the final cake.

• 240 gram(s) unsalted butter (softened)
• 200 gram(s) caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• 1 unwaxed lemon (zest & juice)
• 3 large eggs
• 210 gram(s) self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 170C/ gas mark 3. Cream the butter and sugar together to create a light fluffy pale result, then add the lemon zest.  Add the eggs with a tablespoon of flour for each egg and mix together. Gently mix in the rest of the flour and finally the lemon juice.

Line a baking tin with parchment and pour in the mixture, sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and bake in the oven for about an hour.

Remove and put onto a wire rack and let it cool. Serve with vanilla icecream or creme fraiche.