France - Madeleines

Madeleines are small sponge cakes popular in France. They are baked in a special shell shaped mould to give them their distinctive shape. I bought one and was ready to go!

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

• 125g icing sugar

• 100g plain flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 125g butter, melted and cooled

   

  

   

 

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease/flour your madeleine mould. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs together with the vanilla extract and lemon zest. It smells lovely!

Combine the flour and baking powder then sift it into the egg mix. Fold it in gently.

 

Next, pour in the melted butter. Stir this in well.

 

 

 

Spoon into the prepared mould making sure to only fill 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

 

 

Allow to cool for a minute or so in the mould and then tip out onto a cooling tray. This is where it all went wrong for me. Mine stuck! I think I filled the mould a little too much.

They tasted delicious though! I was disappointed they didn't have the signature shell like appearance but they soon got eaten. The lemony flavour was lovely and subtle plus the texture was the lightest cake I've ever made. So light and soft to bite into. I made them twice but they stuck fast both times. C'est la vie!