Honey Madeleines-Madeleines au miel

Madeleines are just the best little snack to have at anytime of the day. They are traditionally flavoured with orange or lemon zest. Madeleines are very small sponge cakes a bit like pound cake but softer in texture. They have a very distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in shell baking moulds or tins. This recipe is made with honey which give the Madeleines even more soft texture than usual.
Servings: 24 yield(s)
Prep Time: 110 mins
Cook Time: 8 mins
Total Time: 118 mins
Ingredients
  • 190 g Unsalted butter (Keep 10 g aside to brush the tins.)
  • 150 g Sugar (Caster)
  • 20 g Brown sugar
  • 30 g Honey
  • 200 g Eggs (3 to 4 eggs)
  • 200 g Plain flour (Cake flour keep 20 g aside for the tins)
  • 5 g Baking powder
  • 2 g Salt
Instructions
  1. Mise en place: Gather all your tools and measure all your ingredients. The Madeleine batter or mix will need to rest for 1.5 hours prior baking
  2. Sift your flour. Sifting here aerates your flour and remove lumps.
  3. Place your butter in a clean bowl.. Try to have the butter out of the fridge for a bit to make it soft. Otherwise you can use the microwave to do so with 10 seconds burst and check the texture of the butter.
  4. We are softening the butter with the spatula to make it the texture of a cream like a hand cream for example.
  5. We work all the butter until it soft but not melted.
  6. Now you can add the brown sugar.
  7. Mix well the sugar to the butter.
  8. Add the caster sugar and using your spatula again, mix it well.
  9. Keep mixing until all ingredients are combined.
  10. Repeat the same process for the honey and mix it to the sugary butter.
  11. Once your mixture feel smooth and all the sugar is incorporated, add one egg.
  12. Using the spatula, combine the egg to the butter. Keep mixing gently until the entire egg looks incorporated.
  13. Sift your baking powder and add to the Madeleine mix.
  14. add 1/4 or a 1/3 or your sifted flour to the mix.
  15. Mix it well until the flour as totally disappeared into the batter.
  16. Add another egg and fold it into the Madeleine batter.
  17. Keep mixing until smooth.
  18. Add more flour, mix until all combine.
  19. Repeat this action until all the eggs and flour are combined. This methods allows my mixture to stay together and bind very well even on a hot day.
  20. By the end of it your batter should looks like this and it only take 8 minutes all up. You could use a bench top mixing machine for it and make it easier for yourself.
  21. Cover and keep it aside for 1.5 hours.
  22. Once your Madeleine batter has rested, Preheat your oven at 200°C. Melt 10 g of butter in the microwave (10 seconds).
  23. Brush all the shell cavity with a bit of butter
  24. Add extra flour over the butter. shake the tray to make sure all the cavities are cover with butter and flour.
  25. Flick the tray over on the bench to remove the extra flour. I must say this technique of preparing your tin prior baking is often used on all tins that have a tendency to stick. if you have non stick Madeleine tins. You can omit that preparation.
  26. In order to work neatly, i often use the help of a piping bag and nozzle. A technique i learnt through my apprenticeship as a pastry chef. if you are going to bake a lot or make cakes, try to get yourself a set of nozzles and disposable piping bags.
  27. Fill up your piping bag.
  28. Pipe a big dot at the center of the pan. The dot or "kiss" of Madeleine should look like half the size of the shell.. As the mixture bakes, it spreads and fill the shell tin. If unsure just pipe into one shell and bake it. this will give you a better idea if you need to pipe more or less the next time. (better waste 1 than 12). This will also give you an idea on how fast or slow your oven bake.
  29. Once you are confident with yourself. pipe the Batter into all the shell cavities.
  30. Check that the oven reached 200°C
  31. Bake for 7 minutes close door.
  32. Once baked, remove the Madeleine from the oven and let them cool down for 5 in the tin.
  33. Remove them from the tin and if you have a cake rack let them cool down on it.
  34. Your Madeleines should have a dome just like this. It is a sign of good technique for the mix and good baking temperature.
  35. Voila Frenchy's Honey madeleines .. Next time i ll make some vanilla and chocolate.. BE CAREFUL they are really addictive
Recipe Notes

Madeleines are ideal baked on the day. But you can keep them in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. You can dip them in different chocolates too or give them any flavour you wish and like..