It’s been possibly one year since I last baked madeleines. I do remember baking lemon, black sesame and matcha ones in the past though. During my Paris trip, I saw an abundance of madeleines in many of the pâtisseries I visited, and it only made me realize how long I haven’t indulged in one of these shell-shaped sponge cakes. The number of flavours seemed to be endless: chocolate, raspberry, orange, caramel, and many others. I tried the classic from Des Gâteaux et du Pain, and biting into it, the rich, buttery flavour, with the soft, spongy texture, reminded me why I was once so into baking madeleines. This inspired me to add baking madeleines onto my to-do list when I return back to Toronto.
So I dug out my madeleine pan and baked a batch of lemony ones first thing in the morning. Although they were incomparable to the ones in Paris, they were good enough for me to feel a sense of satisfaction. I’m hoping to experiment with some more flavours in the future, such as the chocolate orange and caramel!
Recipe
Yields 24
Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon/150 g butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons/125 g sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Zest of 1 lemon
4 eggs
Directions
Grease madeleine tins and set in the freezer. Heat the oven 400 degrees F/200 degrees C.
Sift together the flour and baking powder.
In a small saucepan melt the butter, and stir in the sugar, honey and lemon zest. Lightly beat the eggs, and temper them into the butter mixture. Whisk into the flour to make a smooth batter. Pour into the molds and bake until the cakes are puffed up, golden around the edges and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, without opening the door during cooking.
*adapted from French at Home
