Rice Flour Madeira Cake

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.

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.