Madeira Cake #Recipe @PegCochran

I have been researching all things British for my OCTOBER 27 release Murder in the Margins, book #1 in my Open Book Series written as Margaret Loudon. The book is set in a bookstore in the small English town of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. Penelope "Pen" Parish is the American writer-in-residence at the Open Book where she is fleeing from a terrible case of writer's block. The town is in an uproar because Arthur Worthington, the duke of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke (and the red-haired favorite of the queen) is engaged to Charlotte Davenport an American (gasp!) romance writer (gasp!)! When the town gossip is murdered and Charlotte becomes a suspect she asks fellow American Penelope to try to solve it.

There's a cozy tea shop inside the Open Book run by Lady Fiona Innes-Goldthorpe aka Figgy. She bakes all sorts of delectable English goodies for the shop like Jammie Dodgers, Chelsea buns, Victoria Sponge and, of course, Madeira Cake.

Surprisingly, Madeira cake contains no Madeira! It got its name because it was popular with Victorians who enjoyed a slice of it with a glass of Madeira in the afternoon. It's not unlike a lemon-flavored pound cake but slightly more moist.

This recipe is from The Kitchn:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose or cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
3 large eggs
Juice of 1 medium lemon

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan and line with a "sling" made from parchment paper. 

 

 

 Place flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. 

Place the butter, cup of sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a mixer and mix until light and fluffy--3 to 5 minutes.

 

Add 1 egg and a spoon of flour to the butter mixture and combine. Continue adding remaining eggs, one at a time, combined with a spoon of flour each time and mix thoroughly.

Add lemon juice and remaining flour and mix.  The batter will be quite stiff and will hold its shape.

Spread batter in prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.  Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar on top.

Bake until the cake is firm and golden, approximately one hour. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled, remove from pan. 

 

"A lively series debut for an engaging heroine."
Kirkus Reviews

For a sneak peek at Chapter One go to  Amazon.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

Coming October 27! Pre-order now.

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer's block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she's affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond.

Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel.