Monkey went to chef camp last week and as a result has become a baking demon. I found him whipping up pastry from scratch the other night to make fruit tarts – his crust was amazingly flaky – and today he turned his hand to Madeleines. Madeleines have long been a favorite of his. It’s not something I have understood, after all, it’s just plain cake – or so I thought.  As it turns out, I was wrong. Madeleines are much more than just regular cake batter cooked in a fancy baking tin.

It turns out the secret is in extensive beating of the batter. You have to beat the eggs on high in a stand mixer for five minutes. Then you add powdered sugar (not regular granulated) and beat that for another five minutes. As Monkey exclaimed: “Look, it’s just like a custard.” And he was right. After all that, you gently fold in sifted flour and a teensy amount of baking powder, before adding the final ingredient, melted butter. If you’ve ever baked, you’ll know that this not how we make a regular cake. No siree bob.

Here’s the recipe, which incidentally and conveniently came with the baking tin.

Ingredients:

– 1/2 cup of butter (preferably organic)

– two eggs (preferably from pasture-raised chickens)

– 1 cup of powdered sugar

– 2/3 cup of sifted flour

– 1/4 tsp of baking powder

– optional flavorings e.g. 1 tsp zest of grated orange + 1 tsp of orange extract

– Butter wrapper to grease Madeleine pan

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and grease your Madeleine pan.
• Melt your butter over a low heat and set aside to cool.
• Sift the flour and baking powder and set aside.
• Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer, add any flavorings (optional) and set to beat on high for five minutes. I set a timer so Monkey wouldn’t walk away and forget. We also used the “K” beater, not the whisk attachment.

• Add the powdered sugar to the eggs, a little at a time, and then beat for another five minutes by which time it should look thick and custard-like.
• Remove the bowl from your stand mixer and carefully fold in the flour mixture a little at a time using a metal spoon and being careful to incorporate air and not over stir/mix.
• Finally, add the melted butter. 

• Fill the Madeleine tin with the batter – not quite going to the top to allow room to rise.

• Pop in the oven and set your time for around 8 minutes. The goal is for the edges to be lightly browned and the center to be springy to the touch. Ours were ready after about 10-11 minutes but this will vary depending on your oven, so keep a close watch.

• Once they’re cooked, allow to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes and then gently loosen with a spatula before cooling on a wire rack. If you like, you can sift a tablespoon of powdered sugar over the top – it makes them prettier! Enjoy!

Madeleines by Monkey

By alice

March 28, 2016

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• Prep Time: 20m
• Cook Time: 10m
• Total Time: 30m
• Yield: 18 Madeleines

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (preferably organic)
• 2 eggs (preferably from pasture-raised chickens)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup sifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• optional flavorings e.g. 1 tsp zest of grated orange + 1 tsp of orange extract
• Butter wrapper to grease Madeleine pan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and grease your Madeleine pan.
2. Melt your butter over a low heat and set aside to cool.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder and set aside.
4. Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer, add any flavorings (optional) and set to beat on high for five minutes. I set a timer so Monkey wouldn't walk away and forget. We also used the "K" beater, not the whisk attachment.
5. Add the powdered sugar to the eggs, a little at a time, and then beat for another five minutes by which time it should look thick and custard-like.
6. Remove the bowl from your stand mixer and carefully fold in the flour mixture a little at a time using a metal spoon and being careful to incorporate air and not over stir/mix.
7. Finally, add the melted butter.
8. Fill the Madeleine tin with the batter - not quite going to the top to allow room to rise.
9. Pop in the oven and set your time for around 8 minutes. The goal is for the edges to be lightly browned and the center to be springy to the touch. Ours were ready after about 10-11 minutes but this will vary depending on your oven, so keep a close watch.
10. Once they're cooked, allow to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes and then gently loosen with a spatula before cooling on a wire rack. If you like, you can sift a tablespoon of powdered sugar over the top - it makes them prettier! Enjoy!