Star bakes

BASIC MADEIRA CAKE

MAKES 40–60 SLICES (ONCE ICED)

Madeira has more of a chew than a Victoria sandwich sponge and is the best kind to use as the basis for a celebration cake. Cakes for special occasions are often decorated beautifully but the cake inside can often be disappointing. This recipe delivers every time. When making large cakes it is much easier to use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, if you have one. The following recipe is used to make the two tiered celebration cakes on the pages that follow.

INGREDIENTS

For the 15cm cake

165g self-raising flour
110g caster sugar
110g soft tub margarine, plus extra