Madeira Cake Oven Temperature

Asked by GrumpyCookieMonster. Answered on 28th February 2015

Full question

Hello, I would like to cook Nigella's Madeira cake. I have assisted fan oven so I'm not sure what oven temparture to use and how long to cook for? Thank you.

Our answer

Nigella's Madeira Cake (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website) is baked at 170c/325F for about 1 hour. All of Nigella's recipes give oven temperatures that are for conventional ovens. Convection and fan forced ovens cook much more quickly and usually the temperature is adjusted downwards. We would recommend that you check your manufacturer's handbook for specific instructions for your oven.

If you don't have a handbook then most commonly the recommendation is to reduce the oven temperature by 20c/50F. You will also want to start checking the cake earlier. We suggest checking the cake after 45 minutes cooking (unless you can see through the oven window it is obvioulsy not baked). If the top of the cake is browning too quickly then cover it with a piece of foil. The cake is baked when a skewer or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.