Madeleines
The most famous little cake in France.I’ve never met a person who didn’t like Madeleines. Did you know that madeleines have been mass produced in France since the end of the 19th century and were at the height of popularity during the second world war. For the perfect looking madeleine cake you need to know a few secrets; use the right madeleine tin and a recipe that works. This madeleine recipe is for the plain variety but once you master the original you can add extra flavouring like lemon or orange zest, chocolate nuggets, jam and nuts. You can also experiment with the size of your madeleine cakes. Use your imagination and invent news ways to make your madeleine cakes even more delicious.
Ingredients
100 g (3.5 oz) plain flour
3 g (half a teaspoon) baking powder
100 g (3.5 oz) of butter
1 squeeze of lemon juice
2 whole eggs
100 g (3.5 oz) of caster sugar
20 g (0.7 oz) of honey
Cooking time: 10 minutes
procedure
Break the eggs in a large bowl. Pour in the sugar and whisk slowly for 1 minute.
Add the honey and continue to whisk for a further 3 minutes (until the mix becomes white and foamy).
Now melt the butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat. When the butter has melted add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the butter to cool.
Sift the flour and baking powder into your bowl over the egg and sugar mixture and whisk gently until the flour is fully incorporated.
Pour in the melted butter and whisk again until you have a smooth batter.
Leave the batter to rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
Coat your madeleine pan with melted butter and add a generous spoon of batter to each mold. Leave a little space free to allow each madeleine to grow when baked.
Cook the madeleines for 10 minutes starting on high heat at 220 °C (428 °F) for the first 3 minutes then reduce the heat to 200 °C (392 °F) and bake for a further 6 to 7 minutes.
Remove the madeleines from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Remove from the mold and enjoy while still warm.