I love madeleines. They are a wonderful combination of cake and cookie. Basically they are an individually sized piece of delicious.
This madeleine recipe is lightly flavored with orange. It’s the perfect flavoring for these wonderful little French pastries.
What are Madeleines?
Wikipedia says that a madeleine is a “traditional small cake from northeastern France. Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions.”
The only down side to making these sweet treats is that they do require a special pan to create their lovely shell shape. A madeleine pan is a very small investment if you like baking. Once you make them I am pretty sure you will want to come back to this recipe over and over again.
The Madeleines Pan
This is what a madeleine pan looks like. This is one you can order from Amazon.com:
Can you make madeleines without the iconic pan? Yes, but you won’t have that amazing shape. Plus the shell shaped pan produces great crispy edges that really add to the flavor and perfect texture of these little cakes.
If you really want to make them without the correct pan, try a mini muffin pan. They won’t be anywhere near as pretty and won’t have all those crispy edges, but they’ll still taste great. And once you have tried them, you’ll probably want to get the pan and make them over and over.
Orange Madeleines
Ingredients
- 1 egg, separated
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375ºF. Grease and flour twenty-four 3" madeleine molds. If you have a pan with just 12 molds, just make two batches.
- Beat the egg white in small bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until it is foamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the mixture is very stiff and glossy. Set it aside.
- Except for the powdered sugar, which you will use once the madeleines are baked, beat the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, with the egg yolk in a medium bowl on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally
- Fold in the egg white mixture.
- Ideally, you should chill the batter for about 30 minutes before you bake them. It really does make the end result fluffier.
- Fill the molds about two-thirds full. The batter doesn't have to reach the end of the molds. It will travel as it bakes. Tap the filled madeleine pan firmly on the counter to remove any air bubbles in the batter.
- Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cakes are light brown. Cool the madeleines for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them from the molds and place them on a wire rack to cool.
- Cool the madeleines completely and sprinkle them with the powdered sugar just before serving.
Nutrition
The recipe makes about 24 madeleines.
Want to make these madeleines even more decadent? Once they have baked and are completely cooled, dip them into melted chocolate or drizzle chocolate over them. What a wonderful combination.
These little cookies or cakes, whatever you want to call them, are a perfect addition to a dessert buffet or dessert plate for something like afternoon tea or high tea. Not only do they taste great, but their beautiful shape adds interest to your dessert plate.
You can browse all of our dessert recipes here.
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