Chocolate Madeira Wedding Cake & Royal Icing Questions

by J
(West Midlands)

I'm looking for a nice chocolate Madeira or chocolate marble Madeira cake recipe for a wedding cake. With a normal Madeira cake you can make it up to two weeks in advance, will it be okay with this one too? Is it ok to cover in marzipan and Royal icing? Thank you

How to apply wedding cake icing and marzipan

Simple wedding cake decorations

Ask the expert

Answer:

I don't have a recipe for a chocolate Madeira cake, not one that's tried and tested! If anyone does know of one though, please share it here – I'd love to try it.

It certainly is possible to cover a Madeira cake with marzipan and icing, although I would probably choose fondant icing over Royal icing. This is my personal choice as I like a slightly softer icing with sponge cakes. The look of fondant icing is almost the same as Royal icing, it's a popular choice for wedding cakes, it's versatile as it can be used for decorations as well and it can be bought ready-rolled from your local supermarket.

With regard to baking in advance, Madeira cake actually tastes better a couple of days after baking and it does keep for a little while in an airtight container. Most cakes taste better when they're fresh and I would recommend baking it a few days in advance and then decorating it just before the wedding – no more than 4 days in advance. You don't know what the weather will be like and if it's hot or humid, your cake may be ruined if it's lying around for any length of time.

If you really want to give yourself more time, then consider making the cake in advance and then freezing it instead. Madeira cake will freeze well if it's wrapped in cling film and placed in an airtight container.

I hope that helps a little!