First mentioned in a cookbook in 1755, we may guess that Madeleines were already popular at that time. These fluffy, shell-bottomed golden sponges are a delight. These cakes are one of my favorites to bake. Therefore, I am sharing here with you the recipe from Le Nôtre ( famous pastry school).
Ingrédients
- 130 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 150 g flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 125 g butter, melted
- 1 pinch salt
- 20 g honey
- Lemon zest
Method – Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 230°C.
- Whisk the eggs and the sugar , salt, the honey together till the mix becomes white and double the volume.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and lightly melted butter. Add the lemon zest.
- Leave to rest for over 2h in the fridge. (The Madeleine batter can even be prepared the day before).
- Coat your Madeleine moulds with butter, then sprinkle flour on top. Knock the moulds on your counter top to remove the excess flour.
- Fill each Madeleine mould with the batter until they are 2/3 full.
- Transfer to the oven. Cook for 3/5 minutes at 200°C. When the ‘bump’ appears on the surface of the Madeleine, lower the temperature down to 180°C.
- When the Madeleines begin to get a beautiful golden brown colour, remove from the oven, tip out the Madeleines immediately and leave to cool.
« Suddenly the memory reveals itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Cambray…my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane ». As described Marcel Proust in his famous book : In Search of Lost Time, first published in 1913. For the author, the taste of the madeleine brought to mind, a moment shared by so many-that of a favorite treat enjoyed in childhood. All those distinct flavors are magically attached to a time and a place, then stored away in our memory banks to be brought back to life, years later.
Bon appétit !
