The super recipe for shell-shaped madeleines comes from a French-speaking site I follow on Instagram and is truly exquisite.
I had already tried making the recipe for these delightful little cakes reminiscent of Proust, but although they tasted good, they lacked the classic and essential bump that original French madeleines must, and I repeat MUST have!
The secret to making these soft delicate cakes, the stars of today’s recipe, is that before baking, they must rest in the freezer for a few minutes so that with the thermal shock from cooking, they burst and become these crispy French madeleine shells!
For many of us, the word madeleine not only evokes the shape of these soft little cakes but also recalls the book of Proust “Swann’s Way,” the first volume of “In Search of Lost Time,” where the famous writer enjoyed them with a cup of lime tea, and thanks to the fragrance, the situation triggered an emotional storm of memories and multisensory suggestions in his mind.
In the first version of the book, the famous madeleine was more simply a slice of bread (sigh sigh) and in the second, it was a toast spread with honey (sigh)!!!
The term “Proust’s madeleine” has become a saying indicating how in everyday life, an object, a color, and especially a taste or a scent can bring back memories from our past, and it is pleasant, I believe, for everyone to relive, with so little, hopefully, pleasant and intimate emotions!
Apart from the romance that occasionally takes me in the kitchen, today I prepared a true delight, a delicious little pastry absolutely to be remade in my kitchen!
The French pastry has many recipes that have become world heritage over time, like the mille-feuille, macarons, éclairs, the religieuse, the Opéra, the frasier, and last but not least, the legendary tarte Tatin!
I’ve never made macarons because among all the conflicting recipes, I often get confused, but they will surely be my next challenge in the kitchen!
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I have opened a channel of recipes open to everyone and free on WhatsApp with no notifications and no sound, which you can join by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you can read a sweet and a savory recipe!
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Among the world recipes published on the blog, I suggest:
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 large madeleines and 1 mini
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 7 tbsp butter (melted and added lukewarm)
- 1 tbsp butter (melted for brushing the shell molds)
Tools
#ADV
- Piping Bags
- Baking Pans
- Brushes
Steps
1) For these delicious soft delicate shell-shaped madeleines, the first thing I do is melt the butter, both for the dough and the small amount for greasing the molds, and preheat the oven to 392°F (static).
2) For the actual dough of the madeleines reminiscent of Proust, I beat the eggs with sugar without whipping them, mixing them well, nothing more!
3) Then I add the milk, blend well, and then combine the sifted flour with the instant baking powder for pastries.
4) Finally, I add the melted lukewarm butter (if not at room temperature) and incorporate everything well.
5) Now I’ll tell you the secret for perfect madeleines which is… I put the dough in a piping bag and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!
6) Meanwhile, I’ve generously buttered with the melted butter and, using a silicone brush, even the cavities of the shell-shaped madeleine baking pan.
7) After the cooling time in the freezer, I take the dough in the piping bag and put it into the cavities of the mold, which is excellent as you see in the photo below.
8) Now I PUT BACK the filled mold with the original madeleine dough in the freezer for another 10 minutes and then finally bake, lowering the temperature as soon as I put the pan in, to 356°F, and continue baking for about 10/15 minutes, but be sure to check them carefully!
9) Maybe, just maybe, my shell-shaped French madeleines are nicely colored, but I looked at the oven for a second, and they were still liquid in the center and… but I can assure you that these delicious little cakes are perfect!
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
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Annalisa says…
1) I had to give myself a slap on the hand not to sprinkle my French madeleines with powdered sugar… I confess that I did it secretly from you!
2) The same for slapping my fingers for flavoring the sweet madeleine cakes with vanilla, lemon zest, and/or orange zest; not satisfied with the excellent result I imagined, I wanted to add my touch but …I SWEAR I didn’t this time!
3) Recipe taken from Instagram on the site laetice_patisse
