Ever since I discovered Netflix on Xfinity I’ve been binge watching all sorts of great shows. Most of which happen to be period-type dramas like Downtown Abbey, The Crown and most recently Call The Midwife. One thing they have in common is that the English rely heavily on tea for just about everything. It’s part of English life, it’s a comfort thing. It’s not just a cup of flavored hot water, tea happens to make everything better.
I enjoy tea as much as the next gal but I regress to a robust cup of coffee. Having said that, I don’t think pastries or cakes taste nearly as good if not accompanied by tea. Such is the case with our featured recipe. Madeira cake is similar to a pound cake or yellow cake. It has a firm yet light texture and is eaten with tea or (occasionally) for breakfast and is traditionally flavoured with lemon. 
I adapted this easy Madeira Cake recipe from one of my all-time favorite cooks, Nigella Lawson. I just adore her! I love her accent, her imperfect way of creating succulent dishes and her upbeat personality. It took me some time to translate all the measuring but I finally got it so that it’s easy to understand. I made a couple of changes but the recipe pretty much remains the same. The cake recipe calls for castor sugar, which I’d never of heard of till now and of course didn’t have on hand. After researching I found how easy it is to make at home. The recipe for castor sugar was adapted from The Balance.
I swear this classic English cake is the easiest you can make! It’s the perfect afternoon snack with a wonderful cup of tea or for breakfast, like I do. Whatever time of day, a generous slice of this wonderful lemon confection is fabulous!
