I love madeleines and enjoy them any time of day… at tea/coffee break, after meals (even before), or as a late-night snack. These simple, soft, spongy mini-cakes are made with a buttery whole-egg batter, accented with honey and lemon or orange. Madeleines have surely delighted generations of pastry lovers around the world. They are a classic.
Madeleines have become a popular baked good in U.S. grocery stores in recent years. We can often find them (a half dozen packed in a cellophane bag) hanging from the baked-goods shelf. However, they don’t look so happy, and in fact can be very dry and doughy. Hopefully I am not the only one noticing this! They taste nothing like fresh homemade madeleines or those from local bakeries. At their best they are warm, soft and sweet, with a lemon or orange smell and a taste of honey that is irresistible.
Making madeleines is not complicated. It is just like the cannelé recipe, in that it is important to rest the batter well, preferably overnight, to let the flour relax and keep the dough from being too stiff. Madeleines should be soft and light, never doughy. This recipe is a version for chocolate lovers.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (120 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (17 g) light brown sugar
- 1 ¼ sticks (150 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional
- Softened butter for brushing molds
- 2 tablespoons (32 g) honey
- 1 1/3 cups (135 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (17 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (5 g) baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting Madeleines
- Shift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set side.
- Beat eggs in a large bowl with handheld electric mixer at high speed until lightly foamy, add vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly at the high-speed until mixture is tripled in volume. Add the butter and honey, blending well.
- Add flour mixture in 3 batches over eggs, folding in each batch until just combined. Then fold in the orange zest. Press a piece of plastic film against the surface of the batter, cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight or for up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter and dust with flour the Madeleine pans, and place on baking sheets. Stir the Madeleine batter for a moment to remix, and then spoon the batter into the molds, filling them 3/4 full (about 2 tablespoons).
- Bake about 10-12 minutes until madeleines are nicely puffed. Remove from the oven and immediately invert madeleines onto a rack. Let dry 10 minutes. Dust scalloped sides of Madeleines with confectioners’ sugar.
