Madeira Cake

Line and grease a deep 7 inch cake tin. Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream the fat and the sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last two. Carefully fold in the remaining flour, then add the milk/lemon juice. Place the mixture in the prepared tin and bake in a preheated moderate oven at 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F and Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour. Arrange the citron peel over the top of the cake and bake for a further 30 minutes. Leave in the tin for a further 5 minutes to cool and then turn over onto a wire rack. Makes one 7 inch cake. Madeira cake is usually eaten plain with a cup of tea or a glass of Madeira sherry for traditional English "Afternoon Tea", but can be sliced in half and sandwiched with jam and butter cream or with fresh whipped cream. It can be iced and is a good recipe for an English style wedding cake for people who don't like the traditional, heavy fruit cake, since it is a very firm cake (you can marzepan and royal ice it just like a fruit cake if you wish). Alcohol such as sherry can be used in place of lemon juice.