Have you ever seen anything so tempting and so pretty? One of the distinct features of Madeleines is the little “humps” that form on the back side of the cake and of course that shell shape!
I’ve had a secret crush on mini French cakes for a long time because they are absolutely the perfect treat to enjoy as you sip your afternoon coffee or tea. Besides being lovely on their own they are also nice to dunk right into your coffee or tea! It’s just like being a kid but now with a little class!
These orange blossom Madeleines are light and tender with a nice buttery flavour and a hint of orange citrus. One side should be lightly crisp while the other is soft and spongy with its distinctive hump. They are simple yet sophisticated little cakes (once you’ve made them yourself you’ll understand). What’s more, they even have their own special oval shaped pan moulds with ribbed indentations that give them their pretty shell shapes.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar & icing sugar
- Liquid honey
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- Orange zest
- Orange blossom extract (or vanilla extract)
Technique
The technique has a lovely flow to it – making the sponge with delicate folding and simple ingredients. What’s equally important to the folding is letting your batter rest in the fridge! Don’t miss this step or else you’ll be dissatisfied with how your orange blossom Madeleines turn out! It’s important to follow the recipe just so since you need to have the proper temperatures to bake the perfect madeleine to get its characteristic “hump”.
Tips For The Perfect Madeleines
- Read through the entire recipe so you know how to plan your day. The batter doesn’t take long to make but it’s best if you chill it overnight. Orange blossom Madeleines are best served warm right from the oven: you can save your batter for up to 3 days, making warm fresh batches for a few days.
- Make sure to refrigerate the batter for at least 2 hours, but as I mentioned overnight is best. It is very important for the batter to be very cold before baking. This thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bumpy’ round Madeleine.
- Make sure your pans are well prepared by brushing each mould with melted butter and flouring the pans. Shake the pans to ensure you cover each mould with flour then dump out any extra flour.
- Make sure to sift the flour, this will help to create a light fluffy texture.
- Use a light hand when adding ingredients to the batter like eggs and melted butter. You want to fold the ingredients together, do not whisk or stir. This will create that spongy texture.
- Don’t overfill the Madeleine moulds. When adding the batter to the moulds be careful not to overfill or spread out the batter. Just leave the batter in the middle of each mould and let it do its own thing in the oven.
Tea Cake Style Recipes
- Raspberry Tea Cakes
- Vanilla Madeleines with Strawberry Glaze
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Mini Almond Cherry Cakes
How to Make Orange Blossom Madeleines
Step One: Make your batter, being sure to use a light hand and to fold the eggs and melted butter into the batter. Cover the batter in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the next day (overnight is best). When ready, butter a madeleine pan and dust with flour. Then add tablespoons of batter in the middle of each mould. Bake.
Step Two: Let madeleines slightly cool and slide them onto a cooling rack. Then dust with icing sugar and serve slightly warm.
Orange Blossom Madeleines
These sweet little French Madeleines are mini sponge cakes that have a distinctive shell-like shape. They are light and tender with a nice buttery flavour and a hint of citrus. Best served the day of.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 mins
- Yield: 48 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons liquid honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon orange rind zest (or lemon zest)
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom extract (or vanilla extract)
- extra butter and flour to prepare madeleine cake pans
- 2 Tablespoons icing sugar for dusting cakes (approx.)
Instructions
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment beat eggs, sugar, honey and salt until pale and thick, about 6 minutes (medium speed).
- In a small saucepan melt butter with your zest and orange extract. Let the butter cool until just warm. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour with baking powder.
- Add a third of the flour to the egg mixture and lightly fold to combine. Do this two more times until all your flour is combined into the egg mixture.
- In a separate bowl combine warm butter with approx. ¼ of the batter, whisk to combine.
- Then, add the butter mixture to your batter and lightly fold until combined.
- Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the next day (overnight is best). It is very important for the batter to be cold before baking, the thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bumpy’ round madeleine.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Prepare your pans. Melt a tablespoon of butter and brush each mould with the melted butter.
- Add flour to each mould and shake the pan to ensure you cover each mould with flour. Dump out any extra flour (do not skip this step, you’d be pretty upset if you did all this work and then you couldn’t get your mini cakes out of the pan!).
- Drop a tablespoon size of batter into the middle of each mould (DO NOT SPREAD or overfill).
- Bake for approx. 10 minutes until sides are browning and cake lightly springs back, keep an eye on them.
- Slide madeleines onto a cooling rack, dust with icing sugar when slightly cooled and serve warm.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to two days or freeze for a month, best served right away.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 4.9g
- Sodium: 38mg
- Fat: 2.8g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 8.1g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 0.9g
- Cholesterol: 19mg
FAQ’s
Flat Madeleines can be a result of the batter being improperly incorporated or the batter wasn’t chilled long enough and kept cold before baking. It is extremely important for the batter to be very cold before baking. This thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘hump’ on a Madeleine.
French Madeleines have a short shelf life and are best enjoyed on the same day. They will last up to two days. Store cakes in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for up to a month.
Madeleines are best served alongside coffee or tea. They are lightly flavoured mini cake that makes a great treat for an afternoon snack or served at parties like baby/wedding showers, etc.
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Your blog is amazing. I love this page and ive been here for about five hours (give or take) but i’m absolutely in love). The page is so relatable, easy and practical and your little tips and tricks are amazing. Thank