Miss Confection

Sweet things from every corner of the world

🇫🇷 Commercy, France

Classic French Madeleines

Buttery shell-shaped sponge cakes with the signature golden hump

Prep
20 min
Cook
11 min
Total
1 hr 31 min
Yield
24 madeleines
Level
Intermediate
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The story

Madeleines are tied to the small town of Commercy in Lorraine, though exactly how is a matter of legend. The most popular tale says that in the 1750s a young servant named Madeleine Paulmier baked these little cakes for Stanislas Leszczyński, the exiled king of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, when his pastry chef stormed out. The duke was so charmed that he named them after her, and his daughter, Queen Marie Leszczyńska, is said to have carried them to the court at Versailles.

Whatever the truth, Commercy became famous for madeleines in the 19th century, selling them in boxes to travelers at the railway station. Then Marcel Proust immortalized them in Swann's Way (1913), describing how the taste of a madeleine dipped in tea unlocked a flood of childhood memories. A Proustian madeleine has meant a powerful taste memory ever since.

The secret to a proud madeleine hump is contrast: a well-chilled batter hitting a hot oven. Rest the batter, butter the pan well, and serve them still warm.

Tips for success

  • Chilled batter plus a hot oven creates the hump, so do not skip the resting time.
  • Butter every ridge of the pan, even if it is nonstick; madeleines stick easily.
  • For a variation, swap the lemon zest for orange zest or dip the cooled tips in melted dark chocolate.
  • Madeleines are best within hours of baking. Refresh day-old ones in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 3 minutes.

Classic French Madeleines

This classic French madeleines recipe gives you buttery, lemon-kissed little sponge cakes with crisp edges and the famous hump, just like the ones from Commercy, France.

Prep
20 min
Cook
11 min
Total
1 hr 31 min
Yield
24 madeleines
Calories
~85/serving

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter and let it cool until just warm.
  2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, honey and salt in a bowl, or beat with a mixer, until pale, thick and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.
  3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the eggs and fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
  4. Drizzle the cooled butter down the side of the bowl and fold until the batter is smooth and glossy.
  5. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill the batter for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
  6. Brush the madeleine pan generously with softened butter, dust with flour and tap out the excess. Chill the pan while the oven heats to 400°F (200°C).
  7. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of cold batter into the center of each shell, filling about three-quarters full; do not spread it.
  8. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the humps spring back when touched.
  9. Tap the madeleines out of the pan right away and cool on a rack, shell side up. Wipe, butter and flour the pan again for the second batch.
  10. Dust with powdered sugar and serve the same day, ideally while still warm.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/classic-french-madeleines

Questions, answered

Why didn't my madeleines get a hump?

The batter was not cold enough or the oven not hot enough. Chill the batter at least an hour and bake in a fully preheated oven.

Are madeleines cookies or cakes?

They are small sponge cakes, made from a genoise-style batter, though they are often sold and eaten like cookies.

Can you make madeleines without a madeleine pan?

Yes, a mini muffin tin works, though you will lose the shell shape. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.

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