Lemon Madeleines
Lemon madeleines are fluffy, moist, cookie-like cakes full of lemony flavour. These delicate French butter cakes with a signature shell shape dusted with icing sugar are perfect to serve at Easter, Mother’s Day or at an afternoon tea party.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested, about 1 rounded tablespoon zest
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted, for coating pan
- ½ cup icing sugar for dusting Madeleines
Instructions
-
Melt ½ cup butter and set it aside to cool slightly while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
-
Meanwhile add the granulated sugar into a small bowl and add grated lemon zest. Stir to combine to infuse the sugar with lemon flavour.
-
With an electric mixer with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed, beat eggs, lemon infused sugar and vanilla for 5 - 6 minutes until creamy, thick, pale yellow, and some bubbles are evident.
-
Into a medium bowl with a sieve, sift the flour and salt. Reduce mixer speed to a gentle low speed. Gradually add the sifted flour to the wet ingredients, beating tenderly until blended, scraping down the sides as necessary. Do not over mix so as to ensure the tiny bubbles created in the egg mixture don’t pop.
-
With the mixer still at a gentle low speed, slowly drizzle in ½ cup melted butter while beating tenderly just until combined. The batter will become smooth, thick and shiny, resembling a mousse-like batter. Gently transfer the batter to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic and chill in refrigerator for at least 60 minutes up to 2 days.
-
Meanwhile, during the last 15 – 20 minutes of chilling time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and generously brush the cavities of a madeleine pan, ensuring you get into the crevices. Reserve the remaining butter for the next batch.
-
Without stirring the cold batter, spoon about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of batter into the centre of each cavity. No need to spread the batter as it will fill the mold as it bakes. Cover and refrigerate any remaining batter for the next batch.
-
Bake for 9 - 12 minutes without opening the oven door, until puffed and just lightly golden on the edges. The cakes should look set and lightly spring back when touched. Cool the cakes in the pan for 1 minute then unmold them to a rack to cool completely.
-
Wash up the pan, dry it, and let it cool before proceeding with the next batch. Repeat process with the remaining batter, brushing the pan again with melted butter.
-
Cool cakes completely before dusting with icing sugar. Madeleines are best enjoyed when freshly baked.
Recipe Notes
- Melt the butter first to allow it to cool slightly and ensure the eggs are at room temperature.
- Zest the lemons and stir the zest into the sugar to infuse the sugar with lemon flavour; then juice the zested lemons and refrigerate or freeze the juice to use for salad dressings or other recipes in the future as you won’t need it for this recipe.
- With no baking powder in the cakes, they rely on beaten eggs for leavening; beat the eggs and sugar for the required time and the tiny air bubbles that form are what allow the cakes to rise.
- Sift flour and salt together which creates a lighter batter; then on low speed, add flour mixture slowly mixing just until combined without over mixing; treat the batter gently so as not to pop the tiny bubbles formed in the beaten eggs.
- Add melted butter slowly and mix on lowest speed just until batter is smooth, thick, pale yellow, and shiny; avoid over mixing which can cause the air in the mousse-like batter to deflate which results in dense cakes.
- Gently transfer batter into a clean bowl, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap; refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour or longer to allow it to chill and thicken; the cold batter should not be stirred so as not to disturb any air in it.
- Generously butter the cavities of a madeleine pan with melted butter; you don’t want the cakes to stick and ensure the oven is fully preheated to 350 degrees F.
- Use a cookie scoop to dispense cold batter into the centre of each cavity to ensure cakes of equal size; the batter doesn’t need to fill the cavities or be spread into them; it will fill in as it heats up and bakes.
- If baking the cakes in batches, keep any unused batter covered and in the refrigerator until needed; and ensure the pan is washed and completely cooled before buttering and filling it again for the next batch of cakes.
- Do not open oven door until the cakes are almost done baking as this could change the oven temperature and cause the cakes to deflate.
- The cakes are done when they are set, lightly golden on the edges, and lightly spring back when touched with a finger; do not to over bake.
- Cool the baked cakes for 1 minute in the pan then unmold to a rack to cool completely; this will ensure they don’t trap steam and get soggy.
- Cool cakes completely before dusting with icing sugar.