These spongy little French cakes are popular in Morocco, where they can be found home-baked or sold for a dirham or two at bakeries. Serve them for tea time, for breakfast or as a snack.
Madeleines are easy to make, but you'll need to purchase scalloped Madeleine molds to get started. The molds are available in different sizes.
I like Madeleines best when flavored with lemon zest. They're also delicious when prepared with orange zest or simply vanilla.
Allow chilling time for the batter.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: 24 to 28 3" cakes
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- ---------------------------------
- melted butter and flour, for preparing the mold
- powdered sugar, for dusting the cakes
Preparation:
Prepare your Madeleine molds by brushing each mold generously with melted butter and dusting with flour. (Be sure to get butter into each crevice or the cakes will stick.) Tap out the excess flour and set the pans in the refrigerator to chill. (Note: There is no need to grease and flour a silicone mold.)
Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for about five minutes, until thick and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and zest. Do not over mix.
Stir a spoonful or two of the batter into the melted butter, and gradually fold the butter mixture into the batter. Again, avoid over mixing as you want the batter to be light.
Cover and chill the batter for an hour or longer.
Preheat your oven to 400° F (200° C). Spoon a dollop of batter – roughly a generous tablespoon for a 3" cake – into each mold; do not spread the batter.
Bake the cakes for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown in color. The cakes should spring back when you lightly press on them.
Tap the pans on the counter to loosen the cakes, or use a thin spatula or knife to gently loosen each Madeleine. Turn the cakes out onto a rack to cool.
Serve warm or room temperature. If desired, garnish with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Madeleines store for only a day or two at room temperature when well covered. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag.
