I love madeleines growing up and still enjoy these mini butter cakes. They are the little things that bring you the most joy. I previously made Matcha Madeleines and Cherry Blossom Madeleines and I am going to share the classic version today. Before we jump straight to the recipe, I must admit that I’ve consumed a copious amount of butter in my pursuit of the best madeleines. As a result, you can trust that this recipe will yield you some fluffy, perfectly shaped, and truly delicious butter cakes. Read below for all the helpful tips!
What Are Madeleines?
Madeleines are French butter cakes or bite-size sponge cakes made with eggs, sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and lemon zest. These mini butter cakes are sweet, but not overly sweet, with a hint of lemon. They are moist on the inside with a tender fine crumb and have a deeper golden crust on the edges and underside of the cake. For me, the best madeleines should also be plush yet light and fluffy. The plump, light-golden-colored dome shape in the middle is the distinctive look of madeleine. The opposite side of the cake has the famous signature shell groves.
How to Make Madeleines
Ingredients You’ll Need
Eggs – I’ve tested this recipe with both two large eggs (100 g) and three eggs (150 g) multiple times. In the end, I picked three eggs for a more flavorful cake, but 2.5 eggs (125 g) or two jumbo eggs might be in a good spot. You can use two eggs without any issues. It comes down to the preference of the taste. If you are going to double the recipe (48 madeleines), I recommend five eggs instead of six eggs. It’s very important that the eggs are at room temperature. More about this later. Sugar – I used organic granulated sugar. Vanilla extract– Use good vanilla extract. Salt – A little bit of salt in sweets is always good! Just like in savory dishes, salt helps bring out the flavor. Lemon zest – I use one lemon, which yields 1 tablespoon (= 3 tsp). Two to three teaspoons are a good amount. Zest only the yellow part and avoid the white pith that tastes bitter. All-purpose flour (plain flour) – I tried this recipe with cake flour, it was very light, almost too light. I prefer all-purpose flour for this recipe. We need bounce for the texture. Baking powder – Get the aluminum-free BP. It’s a necessary ingredient for the batter to rise properly to make the beautiful hump in the middle. It also makes the cake light and fluffy. Make sure to check the expiration date on your BP if you haven’t used it for a while. To test if it’s still active, follow this quick method to find out! Unsalted butter – Use high-quality butter if possible. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove.
Baking Tools You’ll Need
Two 12-well madeleine molds. I have both non-stick pans and heavy tinned steel pans. If you’re new to making madeleine, get non-stick pans for easy use. I prefer using a metal pan over a silicone pan as metal conducts heat much better than silicone. A Microplane is the easiest and best way to zest a lemon. A fine-mesh strainer for sifting the flour and baking powder. A pastry brush for greasing the pans. An OXO small (1-Tbsp) cookie scoop makes it easy to portion the batter and transfer.
Overview: Cooking Steps
How to Achieve the Signature Hump
The hump (or bump) on top of madeleines is the signature of the authentic madeleine pastry. After reading many online recipes from bakers around the world, I learned 3 important tips that everyone was talking about. To sum it up, the very cold batter and super-hot oven heat form the famous bump. Several online recipes refer to this as “thermal shock.” Following these three tips, I was completely amazed by the significant bump that was created in front of my eyes!
Side Note on Deep Golden Color
Here’s another observation I want to share. If you see madeleines with the nice signature hump, the back side (the “shell” shaped impressions) of the cakes is often a deep golden color. With the high heat in the oven, I realized that it’s impossible to keep the shell side a lighter shade. I personally don’t mind the deep gold look as it adds an additional layer of toasty flavor. However, if you prefer lighter golden madeleines, it might be impossible to achieve the bumps.
Other Important Tips to Remember
Tip 1: Make sure to use eggs that are at room temperature.
Cold eggs will cool the batter and make the fat seize up, resulting in a grainy texture. Therefore, it’s important to bring the eggs to room temperature. If you are like me who is last minute and forgetful, the following trick is very handy to bring your eggs to room temperature and I use it all the time (it really works!): Take out the eggs from the refrigerator. Fill a large bowl with very warm water (not hot or lukewarm). Submerge the cold eggs in the very warm water for 10 minutes. That’s it! You can measure the other ingredients while you wait for the eggs to come to room temperature.
Tip 2: Gradually add the melted butter.
Gradually add the cooled melted butter, a few tablespoons at a time, and incorporate the first addition of butter with the mixer on a low (stir) setting or by hand, before drizzling in the next addition. Do not overmix the batter or it will become tough. If you’re worried, it’s best to fold by hand using a silicone spatula. Why can’t we add hot melted butter? The heat activates the baking powder, which means your madeleines will no longer swell while baking!
Tip 3: Use one rounded tablespoon of the batter per well.
Many recipes mentioned one tablespoon of batter (including my Matcha Madeleines and Cherry Blossom Madeleines), but I think one “rounded” tablespoon of batter works the best. A “heaping” tablespoon will overflow the well and produce flattened madeleines. A “level” tablespoon is not enough to create a nice bump.
Madeleines in Japan
It is said that madeleines were first made in the early Meiji period by craftsmen from Fugetsudo, the long-established Japanese confectionery store, who were learning how to make western sweets from a Western-style confectionery shop in the foreign settlement of Yokohama. At that time, there were no shell-shaped molds, so the batter was poured into circular chrysanthemum molds that were used for Japanese sweets. It was only until the early Showa period when French confectionery became mainstream that madeleines—with the original shell-shapes and recipe—were officially introduced to the public. However, confectionery shops such as Fugetsudo, which has a long-standing tradition, still use the chrysanthemum molds of the time and sell them as madeleines today. If you watch Netflix The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko, a nine-episode series portraying the inner world of aspiring geisha (geiko), you probably saw the main two characters making the round mini cakes. Now you know what they are. They are Japanese-style madeleines! In Japan, you can buy these chrysanthemum madeleine molds and paper liners. You can individually package the madeleines like this and give them as a gift. I hope you enjoy making these moist and fluffy madeleines. These are great desserts and snacks to make ahead when you host a party as it takes only 10 minutes of baking time. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
