Madeleines (Dominique Ansel’s Recipe)
Madeleines take me back to a very specific time and space. It was the year 2014 when I was on my exchange program spending a semester at USC, I took a trip to New York City - my first time in the East Coast! Not too far from then, Dominique Ansel introduced the cronut to the world. Of course, his bakery on Spring Street was on the top of my to visit list, and I made it there an hour before opening to stand in line.
It was massively cold out, and there was a snaking line out of the door of the bakery even before opening hours. I remember smelling something buttery, lemony and saw the staff bringing out freshly baked mini madeleines samples. I've never had madeleines prior to that, so I didn't know what to expect. Not sure if it was because I was hungry and/or cold, I thought it was the best thing ever. Buttery, bright with a slight hint of honey, they were so good I ended up getting a pack to-go even though I went there only with the cronut in mind. That morning is a fond memory I'll always keep.
Domnique Ansel's mini madeleine recipe is in his cookbook: "The Secret Recipes", but also available online on Masterclass (I watched his Masterclass and thoroughly enjoyed it!) They do require a day's prep in advance for the batter to rest, but they bake very quickly and will make a good snack if you're hosting! His recipe makes mini ones, but I only have the large sized pan and works by tweaking the cook time slightly.
Little buttery and delicate scallop-shaped French tea cakes with a bright hit of citrus zest. Recreated from Dominique Ansel's recipe, these are best made-to-order and eaten freshly out of the oven.
Note that batter needs to be prepped 1 day in advance. Each serving makes 100 mini madeleines.
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 15 g dark brown sugar
- 15 g honey
- 100 g sugar
- 1 g salt
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 0.5 zest of a lemon
- 0.5 zest of an orange
In a medium pot, melt the butter, brown sugar, and honey over low heat. Stir gently with a heatproof spatula to ensure nothing burns.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder and mix well with a whisk.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs one by one, whisking to incorporate each into the egg mixture before adding the next. (TIP: Use room temperature eggs to avoid cooling down the batter. If the batter is too cold, the butter may congeal when you add it.)
When the eggs are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth, slowly whisk in the melted butter mixture.
Whisk in the lemon zest and orange zest. The batter will still be runny and similar in consistency to cake batter.
Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the batter, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight to rest.
If not baking the next day, batter can be stored in an airtight container, with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) for conventional or 350°F (175°C) for convection.
Remove batter from the fridge. Fill a piping bag with batter.
Hold the nonstick cooking spray about 4 inches (10 cm) away from a nonstick mini madeleine pan and spray evenly in all the cavities.
Holding the piping bag at a 90-degree angle about 1⁄2 inch (1.25 cm) above the pan, pipe the madeleine batter into the cavities so that it fills each about three-quarters of the way to the top.
Place a rimmed sheet pan upside down on the oven rack then place the madeleine molds on top and bake the madeleines for about 5 minutes on the center rack, rotating the mold mid-way to ensure even heating. Bake until the sides of the madeleines are golden blonde and the center has set.
Unmold immediately. Bang the corner or sides of the madeleine pan against your work surface so that the fresh madeleines drop out.
Using a small sieve, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar evenly over the fresh-baked madeleines. Eat immediately (do not wait for more than even a few minutes!) Madeleines are good only when freshly baked. Do not attempt to store them.
- Use room temperature eggs to avoid cooling down the batter. If the batter is too cold, the butter may congeal when you add it.)
- Many recipes containing baking powder do well to rest overnight. This helps with rising, which is especially important for the madeleine—a pastry that puffs up in the center when it bakes.
- If you don't have cooking spray, lightly brush pan with oil.
- If you don't have mini madeleine pan, use a regular sized one and toggle baking time accordingly (depending on the size of your pan).