Madeira Sugarcane Honey Cake
There is no single canonical formula: Portugal's official traditional-products inventory documents a wide range of closely guarded family recipes. This practical version preserves the defining elements—sugarcane honey, leavened dough, spices, nuts, candied peel and Madeira wine—and requires two long rises. Make it well ahead and break the cake by hand, as tradition requires.
- Yields
- One 20-22 cm cake (6-8 servings)
- Prep
- 35 min (plus 50 hr proving)
- Cook
- 50 min
Ingredients
- 150 g Plain wheat flour, for the starter
- 75 ml Lukewarm water
- 10 g Fresh baker's yeast
- 250 g Plain wheat flour, for the cake
- 90 g Sugar
- 200 ml Madeira sugarcane honey (dark cane molasses)
- 45 g Lard
- 75 g Butter
- 50 ml Madeira wine
- 1/2 Orange (zest and juice)
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground aniseed
- to taste Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 80 g Chopped candied citron or mixed peel
- 40 g, plus extra to decorate Walnuts
- 40 g, plus extra to decorate Blanched almonds
- 40 g Raisins
Method
Make the starter: dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, add 150 g flour and knead until even. Cover and leave in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining 250 g flour with the sugar. Make a well, add the risen starter and knead until the two doughs are fully combined.
Gently warm the sugarcane honey with the lard and butter, only until the fats melt. Let it cool until lukewarm, then work it gradually into the dough.
Add the Madeira wine, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, aniseed, nutmeg and bicarbonate of soda. Knead thoroughly; the dough will be heavy and sticky.
Fold in the candied peel, walnuts, almonds and raisins, distributing them throughout the dough. Reserve a few whole nuts for decoration.
Cover the bowl well and leave the dough in a warm place for about 48 hours. The long rest develops the aroma and is integral to this leavened version.
Heat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Grease a 20-22 cm round tin, line the base with baking parchment and dust lightly with flour. Add the dough, smooth it without compacting it, and decorate with walnuts and almonds.
Bake for about 50 minutes. A skewer should emerge without raw batter, but do not overbake: the cake should retain moisture. Leave to cool before unmoulding.
Sources for this recipe
The quantities and method were checked against the references below. Family recipes may vary; where no single official formula exists, we present a representative practical version and say so plainly.
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