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This Gluten-Free Madeira Cake is made with rice flour for an incredibly tender crumb. Spiked with vanilla and lemon this simple buttery loaf cake is made with easy to find ingredients and no weird gums. It’s the perfect slice to accompany your mid-morning cup of tea.
What is Madeira Cake?
The Madeira Cake is a classic British cake, bearing similarities to the pound cake or a classic vanilla sponge cake. However, it is discernable for its tight crumb and signature crack in the surface of the cake.
Madeira Cake has a firmer texture than a Victoria Sponge Cake, due to its higher proportion of flour to fat, so holds up well to slicing.
This beautifully buttery cake is made with a little almond flour, alongside the rice flour to help with the texture and a little bit of flavour. A touch of lemon and a dash of vanilla all contribute to the Madeira Cake’s recognisable flavour.
Why is it called Madeira Cake?
In the 1800s when the cake first became popular it was traditionally enjoyed with a rich glass of Madeira wine. Confusingly it does not hail from Madeira – it’s a British cake through and through - nor does it have any Madeira wine in the recipe.
Why you’ll love this simple rice flour cake
- It’s so flavourful. You will be able to taste intense vanilla, rich butter and a spark of lemon in every bite.
- This cake is super moist and delicious. The perfect sponge texture. There is no difference between this rice flour cake and a regular gluten Madeira Cake.
- Made with easy-to-find ingredients. Rice flour and ground almonds can be found in almost any major supermarket in the gluten-free aisle and baking aisle.
- No xanthan gum! Because of the high proportion of ground almonds in the bake they provide enough structure so xanthan gum isn’t required.
- Simple to make and quick to mix together.
Watch the video to see how to make it
What gluten-free flour do you use to make a Madeira Cake?
White rice flour makes the most delicate tasting light and fluffy gluten-free cake. Brown rice flour is not the right choice for this particular cake. White rice flour is neutral in taste, economical and easy to purchase.
Also not to be confused with sweet rice flour – this is not the right flour here.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Rice Flour
Rice flour substitution
You can substitute for an all-purpose gluten-free flour like Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour.
Ground almonds
To help with the structure of the cake we use ground almonds. This ingredient is present in a regular Madeira Cake recipe but here we up the quantity to assist the rice flour cake, which can be a little dry and crumbly by itself.
Ground almonds are essential here in achieving a lovely moist gluten-free cake. Try not to use almond meal though as the texture would be too nubbly.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Nut Flours
Ground Almonds Substitution
You can swap out the ground almonds for sunflower seed flour if you are nut-free. It doesn’t have quite the same neutral taste but has exactly the same texture and a delicious unique flavour
What other ingredients do we need?
- Unsalted butter. Make sure it is at room temperature for easy creaming with the sugar.
- Caster sugar. This is a fine baking sugar common in the UK. Any white sugar can be substituted.
- Eggs. Use free-range, medium sized.
- Lemon zest. Use an unwaxed lemon for a clean flavour. You can substitute the lemon zest for ½ teaspoon lemon powder.
- Vanilla extract. Use the best extract you can find. I like Nielsen Massey
- Milk. Just a splash to hydrate the cake mixture.
- Baking powder. Gives our cake lift.
- Salt. For balance of flavour.
How to make a gluten-free Madeira Cake
- Cream. Beat the butter and sugar with the lemon zest until light and creamy.
- Mix. Add in the eggs followed by the vanilla.
- Sift. Mix the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt by sifting together. Then add to the rest of the cake mixture and beat until well combined.
- Bake. 50 minutes in the oven.
- Sprinkle. Whilst the cake is still warm sprinkle over a little caster sugar for added crunch.
Baking tips for a successful Rice Flour Madeira Cake
Creaming. Beat the butter and sugar together for at least 5 minutes so that the sugar dissolves into the butter. The ingredients will change colour to a pale yellow and become fluffy in texture. It is essential the butter is at room temperature to achieve this which will result in a light airy cake.
Sifting. It’s important to sift the ground almonds in with the rice flour as the almonds have a tendency to clump.
Cake Tin. This recipe uses a 2lb loaf tin but you could bake the cake in an 8 inch round cake tin with 4” sides if you prefer.
Caster sugar. The final sprinkle of caster sugar is essential for a lovely texture contrast. Sprinkle over whilst the cake is still warm so it doesn’t immediately fall off the sides.
Madeira Cake Baking Supplies
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FAQs
How to store
Store the Madeira Cake in an airtight tin in a cool dark place for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze whole or in slices. Wrap up well though in a double layer of cling film and aluminium foil to ward off any freezer burn.
Defrost completely overnight before wrapping and serving.
What to serve with it
It’s traditional to serve Madeira Cake with a glass of madeira wine. Although as that can sometimes seem a bit much at 10am, a cup of tea is just as delicious. The cake itself needs no further embellishment.
More simple gluten-free cake recipes you’ll love!
I urge you to give this Rice Flour Madeira Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Rice Flour Madeira Cake
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter - at room temperature
- 175 g caster sugar
- 1 lemon - zest only
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs - medium
- 125 g white rice flour
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4 and line and grease a 2lb loaf tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest on a high speed in a food mixer for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until completely incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.
- Sieve the rice flour with the ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a separate mixing bowl, then add into the food mixer. Beat until well combined.
- Stir in the milk to lighten the batter then pour into the loaf tin.
- Bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to settle for 5 minutes in its tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack and sprinkle with the extra caster sugar.
- Leave to cool completely before serving.
Celia Donald says
Dear Georgina, I tried this cake again. Very moist after 2 days. Friends and family really enjoyed it. One of my friends wants me to make the cake for her only. Will definitely bake this cake again. kind regards,
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy it continues to be a success for you - thank you for leaving your feedback!
Heather says
OMG this is so good!
I was diagnosed with celiac about 6 months ago, and I have been struggling to learn gluten free baking. I admit i still bake gluteny bread and cakes for my family.
That may stop now! Everyone loved this and was surprised when i ate some. Perhaps disappointed, as it was so good haha. they were sure it had regular flour! I am ready to throw away the xanthum gum and live on your page.
I used lemon juice instead of zest and my eggs were too large so i added a little extra rice flout to compensate. I also overbaked it out of fear, should have trusted you. But super easy recipe and super good!!!!
Thank you!
Georgina Hartley says
That's lovely to hear Heather - thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed the cake!
Vicky says
Hi there! May I skip the ground almonds and just add the same amount of rice flour to the mix?
Georgina Hartley says
No, the ground almonds is what gives the cake stability and its lovely moist texture, it will be crumbly and dry if you just use rice flour.
Deepali says
Hi Georgina, I want to make this cake for my son, but he’s got multiple allergies and one of the allergies he’s got is to egg and also dairy so can you recommend substitute for egg and butter? Dee
Georgina Hartley says
I haven't tried this recipe with substitutes so I can't give a concrete answer. I'd love to experiment though and get back to you.
Olive says
This is a beautiful recipe. I followed it nearly exactly, except I replaced the zest with 1/s tbsp lemon extract. The cake is delicious and moist! I'm taking it to my Mum's in a couple of days (we are both coeliac) and I know she'll enjoy this. Thank you!
Georgina Hartley says
You are welcome - I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake!
Patricia Davis says
Hi Georgina, would Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar work in this recipe? We have to be gluten free, and sugar free! …’ not interested in any other sweetener, too many chemicals here in the U.S.. Thanks for your response.
Georgina Hartley says
I haven't tried it with these swaps, I think you have to re-adjust the amounts. It's actually something I'd love to try as well so I will let you know if I give it a go.
Sheilah says
Hi Georgina, thanks so much for your recipe. I did some substitutions for what I had (flaxseed flour for almond flour, brown sugar for caster sugar). I added one more tablespoon of milk. It turned out really well. Thanks again!
Georgina Hartley says
You are so welcome - I'm so happy you like this gluten-free madeira cake!!
Nawaal says
Hi Georgina
I baked this beauty two weeks ago and I just love the texture, taste and density!
Made no changes to the recipe nor did i substitute any ingredient however, the cake sagged in the middle. I weighed all my ingredients and the oven temp was perfect as I use an oven thermometer, so I am a bit baffled, any suggestions please before I bake it again in the next few days?
Many thanks,
Nawaal S
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy to hear that! Honestly if you made the recipe exactly as per recipe then it's hard to say why your cake sagged. It could be the brand of flour you used or your butter was too warm so something small like that.
Nawaal S says
I use Erawan rice flour, not sure if you're familiar with the brand, but the other cake I use it in turn out well. Thanks for the tip about the butter, it may just have been a little too warm, I'll try my best to get it to room temp tomorrow before baking this Madeira cake again.
Best regards
Nawaal S
adrian vasquez says
I added mango chuks, 100% in baker's percentage, used rice milk in place of milk and an increas e to 50% baker's percentage and I was happy with it, thanks for sharing
Georgina Hartley says
That's great to hear - the mango chunks sounds like a great addition!
Gaynor says
I love this recipe and sometime I make individual little cakes from this mix topped with a bit if fresh lemon icing just for a bit of indulgence
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you like the recipe - that lemon icing sounds like a great finish!
A says
The fact that this does not use gluten free flour/xanthan gum...it's reaaally good! I used the reverse creaming method and used a 12 muffin tin and 350F for ~28 min..it overflowed cause I was stubborn sticking to just one tin xD..but I love the result! I was skeptical not gonna lie hehe. Holds its shape very well comes off muffin paper super easy and tastes wonderful. Too much almond flour in recipes I find hurts my stomach so..love this!
Thanks for sharing, definitely using this recipe often!
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe - thank you!
Debbie Gregory says
Hi, this looks delicious and thanks for the nutritional info too. Can you confirm the carb count please (for a Type 1 diabetic grandchild). Either for the whole cake or per slice (based on 10 slices). Thanks so much.
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Debbie, I'm afraid I'm not a nutritionist so I can't give you accurate data. The carb information is in the nutritional information section and it is per slice (based on 10 slices). If you need this in further detail I'm afraid I'm not qualified.
Kaz says
This is a beautiful cake.
Lovely texture and flavour.
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe - thank you so much for your feedback!
Andrea says
Hi
Very good recipe, i tried it a couple of months ago and it was very nice, my daughters birthday is in april and i will be making this as a birthday cake will fill it and decorate it with fondant
Georgina Hartley says
That sounds great - I'm happy you liked the recipe!
Ann Wallace says
Hallo. I'm in the process of making what looks indeed like an easy and excellent recipe. I sincerely hope the result is good, becuse I'm afraid my Processor didnt like being on for 5 minutes, and I'm fairly sure the sudden altered operating tone and burning smell means I have burned out the Motor....oh dear. I have a Kenwood, 220 series, and long since lost the Manual, but seem to remember now that they advise not running it for more than a minute or so...a costly forgetfulness.... Sorry this isnt good news, but maybe of some use as Feedback. Thank you again for Recipe, and reading my comments. I am glad to read my email won' t be posted, and trust that is the case. Ann
Georgina Hartley says
I'm sorry to hear that - I hope your processor was salvageable. I usually recommend beating the butter and sugar for about 5-6 minutes in many of my cake recipes as that is what will help give the cake a lightness (so imperative in gluten-free baking). I hope you enjoyed the cake.