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!
Alice,
Thank you so very much for the post! I love madeleines and this post has inspired me to finally make my own. If you have the time, could you answer a few questions for me? What brand of pan did Monkey use? It looks non- stick. Where did you purchase the pan? Thank you so very much.
Best,
Sue
Hi Sue, Of course – glad you liked it. Yes – I got a non-stick pan which we rubbed lightly with the paper from the stick of butter we used. (Don’t recall the brand). I got it from the local cookware store in Petaluma but I’m guessing it will be easy to get online.
Alice,
Thank you so very much for your prompt reply. All the best!
Sue
I love it Alice! You’ve got yourself a budding chef!
That’s for sure!
Wow, very impressive, your so lucky to have a baking demon around the house.
It’s definitely fun….