French Lemon Madeleines [Madeleines françaises au citron]
Servings: madelaines
French Lemon Madeleines are delicate, shell-shaped sponge cakes infused with zesty lemon flavor, often enjoyed with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
The Wet
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 15 g brown sugar
- 15 g honey
- 3 eggs at room temperature
The Dry
- 120 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 100 g sugar
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 lemon zest
The Rest
- 1 tsp. unsalted butter for the mold
- all-purpose flour for the mold
- powdered sugar for the topping
Notes
Instructions
The Preparation - The Day Before
- Gather the ingredients. In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the 115 g unsalted butter, 15 g brown sugar and 15 g honey and stir until it dissolves.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: the sifted 120 g all-purpose flour, 100 g sugar, ½ tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt. Then start adding the 3 eggs, one by one, until it’s all combined and smooth.
- Slowly incorporate the butter mixture into the flour mix, until you get a nice smooth batter. Add the grated 1 lemon zest.
- Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the batter so it doesn’t form a skin. Refrigerate until the next day.
The Cooking Day
- Preheat oven to 375°F for conventional or 350°F for convection. If possible, do convection as it allows the heat to flow more evenly and it helps pastries bake evenly on all sides. Using a madeleines plate, brush melted 1 tsp. unsalted butter and then dust with all-purpose flour. Tap to remove the excess flour.
- Fill the madeleines molds with the help of a spoon. You want the filling to be 1-2 mm under the top of the mold. Overfilling the mold will lead to Madelaine's overlapping each other while rising.
- Depending on the size of the mould, you should bake them between 12-15 minutes. You know they are ready, when they have risen to form a small round pearl on top, and they are firm when you touch the centre. They should not be dark coloured, then they are overbaked. Unmold immediately. Bang the corner or sides of the madeleine pan against your work surface so that the fresh madeleines drop out.
The Serving
- Using a small strainer, sprinkle powdered sugar evenly over the fresh-baked madeleines. Serve the French Lemon Madeleines while they are hot. Often enjoyed with tea or coffee.