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21 Comments The famous French little cake – madeleines – is surprisingly easy to bake at home. All you really need is a madeleine pan (aluminum or silicone both work). The batter is made from simple ingredients like eggs, sugar, flour, and butter – ingredients you usually already have at home and that lets you bake this delicious little cake in no time.
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Why I Love This Madeleines Recipe
Madeleines are easy to make and have a light, tender crumb with a crisp, golden-brown edge. Just be sure not to bake them too long, otherwise they’ll dry out. They’re also perfect for experimenting with flavors – you’ll find a few ideas in the tips below.
What Are Madeleines?
Madeleines are small French sponge cakes that resemble mini pound cakes with a distinctive scalloped shape and a lightly crisp edge. In France, you’ll often see them served with coffee or tea, dusted with powdered sugar or dipped in chocolate. I’ve also made a gluten-free madeleine version that tastes just as good as the original (at least in my opinion!).
A Brief History of the Madeleine
The exact origin of the madeleine has never been officially confirmed – there are multiple versions of the story. According to some, Madeleine Palmier made the first madeleines for a Polish king, while another version claims that a maid named Madeleine baked them for a cardinal using a scallop shell as a mold.
Whatever the true story is, the scallop mold has become the unmistakable hallmark of this French little cake. I personally use a metal version, which I prefer over silicone, but both work.
Why Bake Madeleines Yourself?
There are a few good reasons to bake madeleines at home:
- Fresh madeleines are the best – light, airy, and warm from the oven
- Endless flavor options (lemon, orange, chocolate, pistachio, honey, etc.)
- Quick to bake (about 10-12 minutes per batch)
- Perfect for guests, afternoon tea, Easter, Christmas dinners, or just as a coffee treat
Because of their small size they bake up with a crisp outer edge and soft interior, just as a madeleine should.
Tips for Perfect Madeleines
To achieve bakery-quality madeleines, here are a few insider tips:
1. Use Browned Butter
Browned butter (beurre noisette) adds a delicious nutty flavor. It’s not required, but it definitely enhances the taste. Melted butter works too if you’re in a hurry.
2. Grease the Pan Well
Use butter and flour or baking spray. Madeleines can stick easily, especially in metal pans. I brush the pan carefully, dust with flour, then tap out the excess – it works every time.
3. Chill the Batter
Resting the batter in the fridge for about 30 minutes gives you that classic madeleine hump on top. It also helps prevent sinking and improves batter structure.
4. Don’t Overbake
Madeleines dry out quickly. As soon as the edges turn golden brown — pull them out! They may look slightly underbaked in the center, but remember: they’re tiny cakes.
FAQ Madeleines
Madeleines are small French sponge cakes with a signature scalloped shell shape. They’re light and tender with a crisp edge, often served with coffee or tea.
You’ll need a madeleine pan, eggs, flour, sugar, butter, and preferably lemon zest or vanilla for flavor. A mixer and spatula are helpful but not required.
No, but browned butter (beurre noisette) adds extra flavor. If you’re short on time, melted butter works fine, the result will still be delicious.
The famous hump forms because of temperature contrast. Chill the batter for at least 30 minutes, then bake in a hot oven for the best rise.
Usually because the pan wasn’t greased and floured well enough. Use butter + flour or baking spray. Silicone pans release more easily.
Yes, but they’re best the same day. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
More French recipes
Cherry clafoutis recipe – classic French dessert
Easy Coq Au Vin Recipe (French Chicken Stew with Wine)
Madeleines
Ingredients
- 170 grams unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter for greasing pan
- 90 grams all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- a pinch fine-grain sea salt
- 130 grams sugar
- zest of one large lemon
- seeds of one vanilla pod or vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- a bit of extra flour for dusting baking pan
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175˚C/350˚F
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat until it’s brown and starts to smell rather nutty. Do make sure that you don’t let it get burned as that…. is something you do not want! Once brown, strain the butter (you can use a paper towel over a mesh strainer) so that the solids are left behind. Cool the butter to room temperature. By doing the butter first you can complete the rest of the steps while it is cooling.
- While the melted butter is cooling, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the madeleine molds – get in there and make sure you get in all the ridges. Dust with flour and invert the pan tapping out any excess flour. Mine came out of the pan very easily.
- Put the eggs with the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until thick – you are looking for the eggs to roughly double or triple in volume – approximately 3 minutes. Continuing to mix on high speed, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream. Whip for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and ribbony. Now with a spatula fold in the lemon zest and vanilla (just until mixed).
- Sprinkle the flour on top of the egg batter, and gently fold in. Now fold in the butter mixture. Only stirring enough to bring everything together. You don’t want the butter to be too hot or it will work on your eggs.
- Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each mold 2/3 -3/4 full. I found that the batter becomes thick quite quickly. I had to bake in several batches as the mold only holds 12 madeleines. This recipe makes double that amount.
- Bake the madeleines for about 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. Make sure to check them from time to time. Once the edges turn golden remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack immediately. Dust with icing sugar and serve. The madeleines are best eaten the day they are made.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Simone hats off !! I just made these, they were easy and fantastic! Will be a favorite during football season!
I have been playing around with macarons and have finally posted a batch that came out. Then, I saw those Madeleine molds at Williams and Sonoma. My daughter is Madeleine and it was her birthday last week. I made them and they were lovely. I’ll be posting them in the next week. Your photos are wonderful. I am still learning. I came to your blog because of a link on foodgawkers. Thank you for the tips.
So delicate and beautiful!
Gorgeous! I’d love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight. We’re featuring cookies this week and this kinda fits that description, right? 🙂
HH from http://www.fromdonutstodelerium.com My Life as a Housewife has a recipe for these that she says is one of the best things she has ever eaten in her entire life – and she is a madeleine fiend. Thought you might like to check it out!
These look divine. I love them. I need to make them more often!
And now, I have two recipes to try!
🙂
valerie