How to Make Madeleines

Madeleines are buttery, delicately flavored little cakes originating in France. They have crisp edges and a light and soft crumb throughout. They get their distinctive scallop shapes from being baked in shell-shaped pans. It is only a matter of getting hold of the Madeleine pan. From then on it is really not too difficult to whip up these little buttery French delights. Trust me they are truly delightful with your afternoon cup of tea or even morning coffee.

The most important step in making Madeleines is beating the eggs and sugar. You really need to beat it for at least five minutes at high speed to get that light yellow and thick consistency. If you are using a hand held mixer it may take some more time. By beating the eggs you are adding lift and volume to it . Once you add volume to the eggs, you should be careful not to deflate it . So gently mix in the flour mixture. I chose to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour here because it leads to a lighter crumb. We are aiming for a featherlight cake here, so doing all the things that will lead us there. After mixing in the flour, the batter is enhanced by folding in some melted and cooled butter. So as you can see, only a few basic ingredients and a little amount of baking technique is what is needed to craft these fancy looking little cakes with an elegant name. Don’t be deterred by its chic name and looks. Grab hold of a Madeleine pan and you are not far away from crafting these dainty little treats.

There is some amount of contention about whether Madeleines are cakes or cookies. Some people want to call them cookies while some others call them cakes. However way people want to categorize them, I am just happy that Madeleines exist in this world. Serve them warm with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and it will be a treat to remember.

Watch This Video of How to Make Madeleines

Recipe

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Instructions
	Preheat oven to 350 degree F
	Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
	Beat eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk at high speed until light and foamy. Alternately, you can use a hand mixer
	Gradually add sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes until mixture is light in color, with a thick consistency and almost tripled in volume. The volume added by beating the eggs at high speed is necessary for that light and airy crumb
	Add vanilla and continue mixing for a few seconds
	Reduce the speed of the stand mixer to low and add in the flour mixture until just combined. Do it in small batches. You don’t want to deflate the volume of the beaten eggs
	Switch to a spatula and fold in the melted butter to the batter
	Brush the Madeleine molds with butter
	Spoon batter into each mold, 1 tablespoon each, filling it about two-thirds full
	Bake in a middle rack of the oven, until the Madeleines are golden around the edges and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes total
	Take the Madeleines out of the mold and put them on wire rack
	Dust with some confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve

Note: If you are baking these Madeleines in batches, make sure to cool the pan after you finish baking the first batch before you add the batter for the next batch

If you make these Madeleines, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you! And if you do make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or your favorite social media platform! I would love to see pictures of your creations.

Inspiration: Tea times and French confections

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