As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
A Lemon Kiss Madeira Cake Recipe for a Soft and Light Homemade Cake
Make this soft and light Lemon Kiss Madeira Cake with butter, vanilla, fresh lemon rind and simple pantry ingredients. It’s an easy homemade cake that’s lovely with tea or coffee.
Additional Information
- Can I leave out the lemon? Yes. The lemon rind is optional. The cake will still have a lovely vanilla and buttery flavour.
- Can I use bottled lemon juice instead? It’s better not to swap the rind for lemon juice. The rind gives the cake that gentle lemon aroma without adding extra liquid to the batter.
- How do I know when it’s baked? The top should be golden and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Why is my cake heavy? The most likely culprits are overmixing after adding the flour, using very cold ingredients, or not creaming the butter and sugar enough.
- Can this be frozen? Yes. Once completely cooled, wrap individual slices or the whole cake well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- How long can it be stored and how? Store the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. If your kitchen is particularly warm, refrigerate it in an airtight container, but let slices come back to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Butter: Baking margarine can be used, although butter gives the best flavour.
- Milk: Full-fat or 2% milk will work. You can also use unsweetened evaporated milk diluted with a little water.
- Lemon rind: Leave it out for a simple vanilla Madeira-style cake.
- Vanilla essence: Vanilla extract can be used in the same amount.
- All-purpose flour: Self-raising flour can be used, but reduce or omit the baking powder because self-raising flour already contains a raising agent. The texture may be slightly different.
A Few Little Baking Tips
- Don’t pack the flour into the measuring cups. Spoon it in and level the top.
- Make sure the butter is soft enough to cream but not melted.
- If the top starts browning too quickly before the centre is baked, loosely cover it with foil for the remaining baking time. Let the cake cool before slicing. I know, it’s tempting, but the crumb needs a little time to settle.
Why you will love and enjoy this Lemon Kiss Madeira Cake
- It’s soft and light, with a lovely buttery flavour and a little lift from fresh lemon rind.
- The batter comes together with everyday ingredients, so there’s no complicated baking technique here.
- It’s just the sort of old-fashioned cake I’d make when I want something homemade without spending half the day in the kitchen.
Lemon Kiss Madeira Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 depending on size 1x
- Category: Cake Cupcakes Cookies and Tarts
- Method: Easy baking
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon – 125 g butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature if possible
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- Grated rind of 1 lemon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Cream the 125 g butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. This is one of the little things that helps keep the cake light.
- Beat in the 2 eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is mixed in before adding the next. Add the 1 tsp vanilla essence and grated rind of 1 lemon and mix through.
- Sift the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder and pinch of salt together.
- Add the 2 cups all-purpose flour mixture to the butter mixture in portions, alternating with the 1 cup milk. Start and finish with the flour. Don’t overmix once everything is combined.
- The batter should be smooth and fairly soft, but not watery. If your milk measures a generous cup, you may not need every last drop.
- Add it gradually and stop once the batter reaches a thick, smooth dropping consistency. Spoon the batter into a greased loaf tin and smooth the top.
- Bake at 350⁰F (180⁰C) for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Texture: Soft, light and buttery, with a gentle lemon flavour.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Rashida
Recipe Card powered by
Soft, light and buttery with just enough lemon to keep every slice interesting. This is the kind of simple cake that works beautifully with a cup of tea and doesn’t need much fuss.
Lemon Kiss Madeira Cake is the kind of homemade bake that earns its place on the kitchen counter quickly. Its soft buttery crumb, gentle lemon flavour and vanilla warmth make every slice satisfying without needing frosting or complicated decoration. The method is straightforward, and the small technique fixes make it much easier to achieve the light texture the recipe promises
Thanks for dropping in and checking out the recipes and what’s on offer.
If you try out this delightful recipe, please let me know, rate it, and tag me on Instagram at @_esmesalon. I’m excited to see your amazing recreations, and I’m hooked on those mouthwatering photos!
We happily share our tasty, fantastic recipes and are excited to spread some love by posting at these awesome Linky Parties.
Copyright © 2026 esmesalon.com – All rights reserved.
