So, I’ve had this madeleine pan for years now, never used it, but what with the baking frenzy going on here lately, I decided this weekend would be its maiden voyage.
There are a BILLYUN madeleine recipes out there, people. Refrigerate 3 hours, eggs at room temperature, dance naked in the moonlight to ensure the perfect, er, “hump”…. The list goes on and on. I read a half-dozen variations this morning, and went with the following, which is a bastardization of this one, this one and this one.
Madeleines
(Makes 24)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) SALTED butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for brushing molds
- 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the 1 1/2 sticks of butter first, in a heavy glass measuring cup if you have it. Heat in 30 second intervals in your microwave on high (a little less than 1 minute does it). Set that aside to cool.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Beat the eggs in your stand mixer on high speed (or with a hand mixer) until they’re light and foamy, about a minute. Add the vanilla. Slowly add the granulated sugar, still beating at high speed, and continue to beat until the mixture is tripled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, folding gently with a spatula until just incorporated. Do the same with the next third and the final third. (Folding gently prevents the loss of all that air you beat into the eggs.) Then fold in the zest and the melted/cooled butter.
Melt 1/2 stick butter in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Use a brush (my favorite is this silicone one) to thoroughly coat the molds in the pan, be sure to get the edges as the cakes will swell a good bit and will stick there otherwise.
Spoon rounded tablespoons into each mold, aiming for about 2/3 full. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden.
Turn the finished pan out on a wire rack. Either dust with powdered sugar or glaze as you like.
Lemon Glaze
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
Whisk together in a bowl, drizzle over cooled cakes.
