No fail Madeleine recipe, easier than you think!

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This no fail Madeline recipe will surprise you as it surprised me. I’m very honest with you. Madelines have always been one of my favorite kids’s sweets but I have always been scared to prepare them as I thought it was a very difficult recipe like the soufflé. Well, I was wrong and I’m just sorry I discovered it late…but not too late to share this super easy recipe with you!

The basic concept of the Madeleine recipe is exactly the same of a traditional cake.

In a small bowl add all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl whisk the eggs with sugar up until pale yellow. Add the melted butter, mix. Add the dry ingredients to obtain a smooth cream. Add the orange zest.

Now, very important phase. REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR! That’s the secret of the signature dome of the madeleines. No refrigeration = no dome. Easy. You can even prepare the batter the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Baking phase. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Great a Madeleine pan with butter.

Trick. I like to brush the pan with butter. It leaves the right amount of grease. If you add too much you will have dots of fat on the back of the Madeline. If you add too low the Madeleine will stick to the pan. Brush. That’s the secret.

Add 1 Tbsp of batter to each hole, in the center. Don’t touch it, it will spread by itself.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, nothing more. Remove from the oven, let it cool down a few minutes and remove from the pan.

Dust the Madeline with powdered sugar right before serving them.

Enjoy! They are simply delicious!

HOW TO STORE MADELEINES?

I would really suggest to enjoy them the day you bake them. They are like fresh bread: it simply tastes better right out of the oven. If you have any leftover store them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. When you would like to enjoy them simply remove them from the fridge for 20 min to reach room temperature. No reheating needed. TIP. Do not add powdered sugar to the ones you will save for later. the powdered sugar should be added when you eat them. With time the powdered sugar gets wet and moist creating a kind of patina on the Madeleine.

CAN I FREEZE THEM?

Oh yes, I would even recommend it over storing in the fridge. You can wrap them in parchment paper delicately and then in either aluminum or place them in a freezer bag. The secret is not to let them touch each other. Thaw them on the countertop up until they reach room temperature. Do not dust them with powdered sugar if you will freeze them. The powdered sugar should be added right before serving them.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE THE MADELEINE PAN?

Good point. Honestly you can find affordable Madeleine pans on Amazon but if you don’t have space in your cabinets you can use a muffin tin, use the same procedure and the final result will be lovely too! You will have the Madeline shape but you will get the bump!

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