10 Jan Madeleines

The first time I tasted a madeleine, I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I found it to be rather dry and bland, a little like on over-baked cupcake. A few years later when next I tasted a madeleine, it was a revelation! It was crispy on the edges and light and fluffy on the inside, with just a hint of lemon flavour. Before I knew it I had devoured 5 of them!

I now know that the deliciousness of a madeleine depends on 1) having a light and airy batter and 2) being served very, very fresh – preferably directly from the oven. In fact, Dominic Ansel (the French pastry chef who invented the Cronut) insists on selling madeleines on a made-to-order basis in his patisserie so they can be eaten fresh from the oven! (I’m guessing that first madeleine I had was baked the day before and overmixed!)

If you keep these two things in mind when making your madeleines, I’m sure that just like me you won’t be able to stop eating them!

Ingredients:

65g sugar (⅓cup)
2 large eggs
15ml honey (1 tbsp)
15ml light brown sugar (1 tbsp)
10ml lemon zest (2 tsp)
5ml vanilla extract or essence (1 tsp)
100g flour (¾ cup)
5ml baking powder (1 tsp)
90g salted butter (6 tbsp)

Extra melted butter for preparing the tin
Icing sugar for dusting

Directions:

• Melt the butter and set aside to cool. 
• Whisk together the sugar, eggs, honey, brown sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract with an electric or stand mixer until the mixture is pale and thick (about 5 minutes).
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
• Lightly fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in 2 additions. Now gently fold in the cooled melted butter. Do not overmix!
• Carefully spoon the mixture into a piping bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a madeleine tin liberally with melted butter, then freeze the tin for 30 minutes. 
• Snip off the end of the piping bag so you have a hole about 1cm in diameter. Pipe the madeleine batter into the prepared tin, filling each cavity two-thirds full.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the madeleines spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for 1-2 minutes before tapping the tray to release the madeleines.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.