Madeleines
Madeleines oh sweet Madeleines… what delicate little butter cakes and one of my favorite French pastries! Laced with fresh lemon zest and dusted with confectioners’ sugar, their texture is undoubtedly unique. These subtly sweet airy teacakes have delightfully crisp edges and are known for their beautiful and distinct scallop shell shape. To say they’re delicious is an understatement. They’re remarkable. Invite some friends over, brew some coffee, pour some tea, and bake them together.
This particular recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is based off of Julia Child’s recipe. Madeleines start with a sponge-like batter, called a genoise in European baking, and get most of their lift and volume from beaten eggs. The base of the desserts is usually creamed butter and sugar.
With madeleines, however, beating the eggs and sugar together is the most crucial and particular step. We’ll beat them for 8 minutes to really whip in enough air. In this particular recipe we use two eggs. I do not prefer to use too many eggs as they end up too dense and tasting a little too much of egg. You’ll need room temperature eggs. Cold eggs won’t reach the volume we need for madeleines.
If you love tea, these vintage mix n match teacups and saucers are the perfect compliment to these beautiful pastries.
Special Tools - You will need a Madeleine pan and a pastry brush. I love this purple brush from Le Creuset because I can pop the top off to wash it in the dishwasher. I also love to use a mini Madeleine pan because, well they’re mini! Who doesn’t love anything little and cute?!
RECIPE
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (plus another 2 Tbsp for the pan)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled - NOTE- Sift flour before measuring)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
optional: confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool as you prepare the rest of the batter. You can melt it in the microwave or melt it/brown it on the stovetop.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (didn’t notice a difference using either one), beat the eggs and sugar together on high speed for at least 8 minutes. The mixture will be thick, pale, and form ribbons when you lift the beater(s). Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract until combined. (The remaining ingredients are mixed together by hand; you no longer need the mixer.)
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold into egg mixture. I suggest carefully folding in half of the flour mixture, then folding in the other half. (Instead of dumping it all in at once.) Make sure you’re handling this batter with care. It’s very delicate.
Stir 1/4 cup of the batter into the melted butter. It will take a minute to fully incorporate. Then stir it all into the rest of the batter. The batter will be thick, silky, and shiny.
Cover the batter and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Try not to chill any longer than this as the butter in the batter will begin to solidify.
During the last few minutes of chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the pan with melted butter. I find that greasing the pan is necessary even if you’re using a nonstick pan. We want to avoid any chance of sticking.
The batter will be quite airy and spongey after resting. This is good! Do not try to deflate it. Spoon 1 generous Tablespoon of batter into the center of each scalloped well. No need to spread it to the edges. Just plop it in the center. (Cover and refrigerate remaining batter if you do not have 2 madeleine pans to bake the batter all at once.)
Bake for 10-12 minutes. The madeleines are done when the tops spring back after lightly pressed with your finger. Invert the pan onto the counter. Transfer the warm madeleines to a wire rack to lightly cool.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving. Madeleines are best enjoyed right after baking, so I don’t have any make-ahead tips. They dry out very quickly; I find baked and covered madeleines lose their texture even after 1 day! For this reason, I don’t recommend freezing them either. You’ll lose a lot of texture.
Enjoy these light and airy sweet little treats, make time for yourself today and know you are valued!
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