Blood Orange Madeira Cake

STEP 1: CANDY THE BLOOD ORANGE SLICES (THE DAY BEFORE)

Slice the blood oranges into rounds 2–3 mm thick, skin on, and pick out any seeds. Bring the granulated sugar and water to a simmer in a wide, shallow pan, stirring only until the sugar has dissolved. Lay the slices in a single layer — overlapping means uneven candying — and lower the heat until the syrup is barely moving, with just a few lazy bubbles. Poach for 45–60 minutes, turning the slices once or twice, until the pith has turned translucent and the peel is tender. Lift them out with a fork onto a wire rack set over a tray and leave to dry uncovered overnight in a warm, dry place. Reserve the syrup.

STEP 2: SET THE CANDIED SLICES BRITTLE

The following day the slices will be tacky rather than brittle. Toss them in the caster sugar, lay them back on the rack, and dry them in the oven at its lowest setting, around 200°F (90°C), for 45–60 minutes with the door propped ajar on a wooden spoon. They are ready when a slice dropped onto a plate makes an audible click — Mary Berry's stated test. Scorching or bitterness means the oven was too hot or the initial poach too vigorous.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE TIN AND THE OVEN

Grease a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin and line the base and long sides with a strip of parchment. Preheat to 325°F (160°C conventional / 140°C fan) and switch the oven on now. The moderate setting is deliberate: a Madeira wants a long, steady bake so the outside sets slowly enough for the middle to keep climbing and split the crust. A hot oven fixes the top early and the crack is lost.

STEP 4: MAKE THE BATTER

Cream the softened butter and caster sugar for a full 4–5 minutes, until markedly paler and light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each; if the mixture looks like curdling, add a spoonful of the weighed flour. Beat in the zest of two blood oranges and 3 tbsp of their juice, reserving a further 3 tbsp for the glaze. Sift the flour and salt over the bowl, add the ground almonds, and fold in gently with a large metal spoon until just combined. Consistency is the whole game: aim for a stiff dropping consistency, the batter falling reluctantly from the spoon after a couple of seconds rather than running off it. A slack batter will neither dome nor crack. Add the tablespoon of milk only if the mixture is genuinely too stiff to level.

STEP 5: FILL THE TIN AND BAKE

Spoon the batter into the tin and level the top, then make a very shallow dip along the centre with the back of a spoon, which concentrates the rise down the middle. Bake for 55–65 minutes without opening the door for the first 40. The cake should dome high and split along its length of its own accord, which is what the judges were looking for. Optional insurance only if your oven has beaten you before: at around 25 minutes, once a skin has formed but the centre is still soft, draw a thin oiled knife once down the centre to start the split. Test with a skewer in the thickest part rather than at the crack — it should come out clean while the crack itself still looks slightly damp.

STEP 6: GLAZE

Warm the reserved blood orange juice with the caster sugar, or reduce 2 tbsp of the candying syrup, until just syrupy. Leave the cake in its tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. While it is still warm rather than hot, brush the top and sides with the glaze sparingly, using a pastry brush. The brief called for a light glaze, not a soaked one: two thin coats, letting the first dry before the second, gives shine without softening the crust or blurring the crack.

STEP 7: FINISH AND SERVE

Once the cake is completely cool, lay the brittle candied blood orange slices along the top, either overlapping down the length of the loaf or arranged as a short run across the centre. Add them at the last moment: the slices draw moisture from the cake and lose their snap within a few hours. Serve in generous slices with tea. A Madeira is arguably better on the second day, which is part of why it endures.