Madeleine Cake
These cute little cakes, golden on one side with a charming domed "belly" on the other, are called madeleines, a classic French dessert. Fresh out of the oven, they are dusted with a layer of sugar for a sweet, delicious treat. Compared to many complex baked desserts that can take hours or even a full day to prepare, madeleines are far simpler and more time-efficient, taking only around 30 minutes to make. If you don't have time to bake them right away, the finished batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, making them perfect for busy people. Let's take a look at the recipe below. (The listed ingredients make 3 trays of mini madeleines)
Ingredients
unsalted butter
114g
all-purpose flour
130g
eggs
3
granulated sugar
100g
light brown sugar
15g
baking powder
3g
salt
1g
vanilla extract
2g (optional)
lemon zest
2g (optional)
chocolate
a little (for decoration)
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare all ingredients.
2
Step 2
Crush and sift the light brown sugar, then pour it together with granulated sugar and eggs into the stand mixer bowl.
3
Step 3
Start the stand mixer and whip the eggs and sugar on high speed. Whipping whole eggs is slower than whipping egg whites alone, and using a stand mixer is more efficient and less tiring than using a hand mixer.
4
Step 4
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Melt the butter in the microwave on low heat until liquid.
5
Step 5
Whip until the whole eggs are light and thick (about 5-8 minutes), then add the vanilla extract and lemon zest (for flavor; optional).
6
Step 6
Sift one-third of the dry ingredients over the whipped egg mixture and gently fold in. Then sift the remaining two-thirds in two batches, following the same steps, just until no dry flour remains on the surface. Do not overmix.
7
Step 7
Take out about 240ml of batter and stir it into the warm melted butter (stirring in batches helps the butter absorb better).
8
Step 8
Slowly pour the mixture from the previous step back into the whipped egg batter along the edge of the bowl and mix well. The Madeleine batter is now ready.
9
Step 9
Pour the batter into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one to two hours, preferably overnight (it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days).
10
Step 10
Take the chilled Madeleine batter out of the refrigerator; no need to bring it to room temperature. Simply transfer it into a piping bag with the tip cut off.
11
Step 11
Next, start baking: squeeze the batter into the Madeleine molds. If the molds are not non-stick, grease and dust them with flour in advance to prevent sticking.
12
Step 12
Preheat the oven to 175°C with both top and bottom heating. Place the molds inside and bake for about 12 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Touch the center lightly; it should spring back slightly. Do not overbake, as the texture will be dry.
13
Step 13
Remove the molds and place them on a cooling rack. Invert to release the cakes and let them cool.
14
Step 14
Finally, decorate: dip the Madeleines in melted pink chocolate and set aside to solidify.
15
Step 15
Fill a piping bag with white chocolate and pipe patterns on top of the pink parts.
