Soured Cream Madeira Cake

Can be used as base cake for cupcakes, birthday or wedding cake, more suitable for adult's palette.
(Taken from the book Birthday Cake, Parragon Books, Ltd)

Ingredients
8 oz butter
15 oz plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 ib 5oz granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract (or grated zest of 1 lemon, if you prefer)
8 fl oz soured cream





Method

Preheat the oven to (160C/ 325F), bring the refrigerated ingredients to room temperature. Grease a 10 inch pan with butter, then add flour, tap the extra flour out, or you may choose to use parchment paper to line your baking cake tin.

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, set at slow first, then gradually set speed higher, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Beat in one egg at a time, ensuring that each is completely incorporated into the mixture before adding the next. Add the vanilla extract and lemon extract.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and half of the soured cream and beat. Continue to add the flour and the remaining soured cream, finishing with the final portion of flour. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl once or twice with a rubber spatula to incorporate all mixture.

Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth it out evenly. Tap the underside of the tin repeatedly to release any air trapped in the mixture. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the cake.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Gently invert the cake onto a second rack, remove the baking paper and leave to cool completely before icing.