Madeleines
Small, shell-shaped sponge cakes flavoured with lemon zest and brown butter notes, baked from a chilled batter so each one rises into a hump.
Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a small pan and let it bubble gently until it smells nutty and flecked with light brown specks, then cool until lukewarm.
- 2
Whisk the eggs and caster sugar with an electric mixer until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
- 3
Whisk in the honey and lemon zest.
- 4
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the eggs and fold in gently with a spatula.
- 5
Pour the cooled butter down the side of the bowl and fold until the batter is smooth and glossy.
- 6
Cover and chill the batter until thick and cold.
- 7
Brush the tin with melted butter, dust with flour and tap out the excess. Heat the oven to 200°C.
- 8
Drop a heaped teaspoon of batter into each mould, filling it about three quarters full. Do not spread it out.
- 9
Bake until risen in the middle, golden at the edges and springy to the touch.
- 10
Tap the madeleines out onto a wire rack straight away.
- 11
Wipe, butter and flour the tin again and bake the rest of the batter in the same way.
- 12
Dust with icing sugar and serve while still slightly warm.
Notes
- The contrast between cold batter and a hot oven is what makes the hump on the back. The batter can rest in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Madeleines are best eaten within a few hours of baking, while the edges are still crisp.
- If your tin is non-stick, a light brushing of butter is enough and you can skip the flour.
Equipment
12-hole madeleine tin, Small saucepan, Mixing bowl, Electric hand mixer, Sieve, Spatula, Pastry brush, Wire rack