Honey Madeleines (Buttery Shell-Shaped French Cakes)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 32 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
These shell-shaped cakes are best eaten within 30 minutes of leaving the oven, while the edges are still crisp, with black tea or coffee alongside.
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A generous amount of melted butter browns those edges deep gold, and honey in place of part of the sugar gives a rounder, faintly floral sweetness that granulated sugar alone does not.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Melt 90 g unsalted butter over low heat or in a water bath, then let it cool until just lukewarm.
Lightly grease and flour the madeleine pan, tapping out excess flour, and keep it chilled.
- 2
Place 2 eggs, 70 g sugar, and 25 g honey in a bowl, then whisk for about 2 minutes.
Stop when the mixture looks paler, slightly thicker, and most sugar grains have dissolved.
- 3
Sift in 90 g cake flour, 0.5 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 g salt.
Fold gently just until no dry flour remains, avoiding heavy mixing so the cakes stay tender.
- 4
Pour in the cooled butter in 2 additions, then add 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
Mix until the batter looks glossy and flows in a continuous ribbon, scraping the bowl so no butter pools remain.
- 5
Cover the batter and chill it for 1 hour so it becomes thoroughly cold.
Spoon the cold batter into the prepared molds only to 80 percent full, leaving room for the hump to rise cleanly.
- 6
Bake in a 190C preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
Remove as soon as the centers mound and the edges turn deep golden, then unmold and serve within 30 minutes while crisp and warm.
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