Making Madeleines

 

There is much debate over the origin of the little French sponge cake, the Madeleine, however there are two things that are certain; that the small French town of Commercy in the Lorraine region, proudly stake their claim over the shell-shaped cakes; and, that Madeleines have earned their timeless place in literature in Marcel Proust’s The Remembrance of Things. In the beginning of his autobiography, Proust is overwhelmed by a stream of childhood memories after he tastes the citrus-infused Madeleine with a drop of tea.

“No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the [Madeleine] crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me...But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, taste and smell alone, more fragile but more enduring, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, remain poised a long time, like souls, remembering, waiting, hoping, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unflinchingly, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection.”

Today the Madeleine remains loved for its simplicity and delicate citrus flavour as if kissed by a lemon tree.

This is my second attempt at making Madeleines. The first time was miserable. What should have been an airy, soft cake with a slightly crisp exterior was dense and dry. After my first attempt I shied away from trying again and hid my Madeleine tin in the back of the cupboard. This was about a year ago.

It wasn't until recently that I was browsing on the Quince Handcrafted Cuisine website in Vancouver when I saw a Saturday afternoon class promising to teach students how to make the best hot chocolate and Madeleines ever. I enrolled immediately and headed off for an hour of tasteful education.

From Quince owner and chef, Andrea Jefferson, I learned how to make perfect Madeleines. It's all about finding the right balance between the whisking and folding of the batter while keeping it aerated with millions of tiny bubbles. Chef Andrea has a straight forward, no-nonsense approach to cooking. She is only particular about those things which require precision; baking measurements is one of those things.

On her recommendation during the class, I have only included the ingredient measurements in grams. While 130 grams of eggs was approximately 3 medium eggs, the size of eggs may vary from country to country, so my advice? Buy some scales and they don't have to be expensive. Mine were $16.

I've put together 10 step-by-step instructions to Madeleines you'd be mad to miss. Enjoy!

For more inspirational cooking classes check out Quince at:

Quince - www.quince.ca
1780 W3rd Ave Vancouver
Tel: 604.731.4645

Madeleines
(Makes 24)

130 grams eggs at room temperature
130 grams of castor sugar
130 grams all-purpose flour
130 grams melted, unsalted butter
1/2 tsp of grated lemon zest
Cooking equipment: Madeleine tins & scales

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Have your cooking equipment ready. Carefully measure out the ingredients and set aside.

Step 2: Grease the Madeleine tin with butter and set aside.

Step 3: Use a fork or whisk to lightly beat the eggs.

Step 4: Place the whisked eggs, sugar and lemon zest into a metal mixing bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the hot water. Gently whisk the egg mixture for several minutes until it warms slightly but don't let it cook. Remove bowl from saucepan.

Step 5: In the same bowl, whisk the egg mixture until light, foamy and thickened. This process took me about 8-10 minutes and I used a hand-held electric beater with a whisk attachment.

Step 6: Sift a little flour onto the egg mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the flour into the mixture. Fold in the flour by gently stirring the spatula on the outer rim of the bowl being careful not to overmix. Sift in a little flour at a time then fold, sift, fold and so on. 

Step 7: Slowly fold in the melted butter -- about 2 tablespoons at a time. Repeat the process until the butter is properly combined and the batter is consistent and thick. So the steps are -- add butter, then fold, add butter, then fold and so on. Be patient and don't add the butter all at once as this will deflate the batter.

Step 8: Transfer the batter into a piping bag.

 

Step 9: Pipe batter into greased Madeleine moulds. When piping, move in a circular motion around the outside of the shell and finishing in the centre. Don't overfill them as the batter will expand when baked. Be prepared the put the tray straight into the oven once you've piped the batter. The batter should not be left sitting around as it will deflate and the cakes will be dense instead of airy.

 

Step 10: Place Madeleine tray on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until they become a light golden colour. Remove tray from oven and turn cakes onto the counter. You may have to give the tray a bit of a tap to release the cakes. Arrange on a plate and serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

Comments

[lk]

Luv ur Madeleines! Really perfectly done! Great steps-by-steps instructions! I can't wait to try it now. Is it a must to have a Madeleine tray?

[VeggieGirl]

GREAT tutorial on creating such a classic cookie!! Thank you!!

[Courtney]

My first madeleine experiment was about the same. I can't wait to try out this method. These cookies look perfect!

[Manggy]

YAY! What a way to come back from a detox ;) I didn't know that the process was exactly the same as a genoise, that's so cool! They look so perfect, and the shape, flawless!

[ovenhaven]

I was lured here by the first shot, but was surprised to see gorgeous step-by-step photos as well! I'll definitely be dropping by more often :)

[Patricia Scarpin]

Amazing, Syrie. Just amazing! I love madeleines and the step by step photos are so useful!

[Syrie]

Lk, Thanks so much for visiting my blog taste buddies and for your comment on the Madeleines. About the tray...I'm sure you could use another tray - what were you thinking? Perhaps a shallow muffin tray? The cooking time may have to differ so just keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven once they turn a light golden colour.

I look forward to checking out your blog and please keep me posted if you make the Madeleines.

Thanks VeggieGirl! Hope it helps anyone else who’s had the same experience with dense Madeleines.

Good luck Courtney, please let me know if you try them out. Cheers.

Hi Mark! Yes I’m straight back into all the fun stuff. That’s right a Genoise! I do love the scallop shell shape too.

Thanks so much Ovenhaven. I’ll definitely check out your website too. Looking forward to it.

Patricia, Queen of all Madeleines. It means a lot coming from you! Thank you.

[MoJo]

I have yet to taste a madeleine that wasn't boring or stale, but these are so enchanting. I can't wait until I get to try these out myself with your instructions and photo guides. Thank you for sharing!

[pixen]

I have a madeleine mould left by mother-in-law after she passed away 10 years ago. Am not sure how old is this mould but the mould was very lovely and the shape of madeleines are very sharp. I'd been keeping it for long time...it's time for me to use it. Thank you for sharing the steps and gorgeous picts :-)

[Eleonora]

Un petit coucou en passant pour te souhaiter un bon week-end. Et tes madeleines sont merveilleuses

[Rosa]

What pretty Madeleines! They look really good and ever so perfect!

Cheers,

Rosa

[thecoffeesnob]

Your madeleines are just gorgeous! I love the step by step photos!

[Jude]

So excited to get my madeleine pan... Thanks for the great tutorial!

[Werther]

They look great... had some recently, first time in my life when a friend sent them from across the Pacific..

[Alex]

They look stunning. Great job well done.

[vincent]

Bonjour how are you ? you have to know that i love this sponge cake do you know that the madeleine of Commercy would carry(wear) the first name of a young maid of Commercy, Madeleine Paulmier, a handmaid of the Marchioness Perrotin de Baumont, who in 1755, made these cakes for duke Stanislas Leszczynski. This tradition of Lorraine went on until our days....bisous et à bientôt !!!!

[Marc @ NoRecipes]

Looks fantastic. Everytime I see Madeleines I say to myself that I need to make them, and yet the thought of buying yet another pan has held me back. I wonder if these would work (albeit less attractive) if simply piped onto a silpat or into a shallow muffin tin?

[eliza]

lovely madeleines!

[Shari]

I love madeleines, and your instructions are wonderful!

[Syrie]

Thanks Mojo. Hope you like them! Please let me know how they turn out.

Pixen, you must use your tin! Hope they're delicious. I find the tins much better than the silpats.

Merci Eleonora! Bon vacance!

Thanks so much Rosa. It take me a while.

Thank you coffee snob Happy holidays!

Thanks Jude. I definitely recommend a pan over the silpats.

What a lovely friend Werther! Thanks for visiting.

Thanks so much Alex!

Vincent, thank you for the brilliant information. You are a king.

Hi Marc, I have to say that I'm not a big fan of the silpats. I just don't believe they don't give of a little toxicity when heated. I think go the muffin tin option!

Thanks Eliza!

Thanks so much Shari!

[Adelina]

I'm an absolute Madeleines lover and I swear to you, I have been in love with Madeleines for at least 12 years. With that being said, of course I've tried every possible recipe that I could research and find - during the past 12 years....

Yours look absolutely beautiful and I really have to try out the technique and recipe. Thanks for posting and for the wonderful writing!

[Shae]

We don't use grams in the US. Are we talking about half cup of everything, except for the three medium eggs and 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest?

[flowercarole]

These looks amazing, they are going on my 'to make' list!

Thanks for sharing.

[Loan]

How can I get a buttery taste for my madeleines? What kind or what brand should I use as butter? I use the Land o lakes unsalted butter, but there is no butter taste at all. Please advise.

[Elsie P.]

I would love to try these, they look so wonderful! Only thing is I need measurements in cups in the U.S. Thanks!

[Syrie]

Hi Loan, Land o Lakes is pretty good. I'd say try a few more brands so you can find one that you like. I'm in Vancouver and I use an organic, unsalted butter. Let me know how you go and good luck.

Hi Elsie, My cooking teacher, when teaching me how to make Madeleines, told me not to measure using anything but scales. This is because the eggs may be a different size or even cups may be slightly different. I strongly urge you to buy some scales. I got mine for $16! Good luck.

[lily ng]

I like your blog so much that i have linked yours.

I am so impressed with these madeleines, you have inspired me to make some. I have only a 6 piece silicone mould, should i make a quarter recipe at a time?

thanks for sharing such good step-by-step pictures.

lilyng
http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/

[Adelina]

I haven't the chance to experiment your recipe and techniques but I have a couples of questions, if you don't mind spending a little time to give me some advices!

1. Would it be a good idea to add just a bit of batter into the cool, melted butter then fold the rest into the batter?

2. Your recipe doesn't require the batter to rest in the fridge like many others, do you think there would be a different if you do rest the batter in the fridge vs. not doing so?

3. This is lame, but would 130 gram of eggs equivalent to about 3 large eggs?

Again, thanks for your time and I'll let you know soon how my Madeleines will turn out. As always, I drool just by starring at your pictures!

[Smoothie]

What a great recipe. I had to go out and buy the pan but it was worth it.