Photo of Madeleines
Baking,  Recipes,  Sarah

Madeleines

Photo of MadeleinesMy friends, it is time. The Downton Abbey Movie is upon us. I only wish I had made these Madeleines sooner so I could sneak them into the theater with me! This recipe is direct from the Downton Abbey Cookbook, so I have high hopes. With any luck, I’ll make Ms. Patmore proud. Can I pretend I’m sitting with Anna & Mr. Bates while I enjoy this delicious & buttery cake with a cup of hot tea?

Recipe for Madeleines Nielsen Massey Vanilla

Let’s Head to the Downstairs Kitchen

This is my first time making Madeleines. First, you’ll need a Madeleine pan if you want to do it right. if you still want to give the little cakes a go, use a muffin tin. I totally forgot Costco sells a huge tub of pre-baked Madeleines. Thankfully, my husband says these are better.

via GIPHY

Let’s Talk About The Downton Abbey Cookbook

The Really Into This crew tried two recipes and both recipes needed some major tweaks. Take these madeleines. I baked them according to the instructions. Honestly, it took twice as long. The last 5 minutes, I cranked the heat up to 375 deg F to get that golden brown color. If you try this recipe, let me know how they turn out for you.

THE VERDICT

Overall, this is a simple & tasty recipe where the cake shines.

Madeleines

A delicious & delicate balance of flavor that perfectly compliments your afternoon tea.

Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 madeleines

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled plus room-temperature butter for the molds
  • 6 tablespoons (80 g) superfine sugar plus more for the molds
  • 2/3 cup (80 g) flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange flower water
  • Grated zest and juice of 1/2 small lemon
  • 2 eggs separated
  • Pinch of salt
  • Confectioners' sugar for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter 12 madeleine molds. Dust them with superfine sugar, tapping out the excess.
  2. Put the melted butter, superfine sugar, and flour into a bowl and stir to mix well. Add the orange flower water and lemon zest and juice and again mix well. Stir in the egg yolks until blended.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites and salt. Whisk by hand or with a handheld mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until no white streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared molds.

  4. Bake until very lightly browned at the edges, 10-12 minutes. Let cool in the molds on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out of the molds onto the rack and let cool completely. Sift the confectioners" sugar over the madeleines just before serving.

Recipe Notes

I didn't have orange blossom water, so I substituted with vanilla extract.

If you don't have madeleine molds, standard muffin cups will work. In the Edwardian period,you could also get English madeleines, which were made in dariole molds (shaped like small flowerpots) and were often hallowed out, filled with jam, the tops put back on and then iced. This recipe will also work for those, with or without the jam filling.

This recipe is from the Official Downton Abbey Cookbook

Momma, wife, baker, reader & smart ass. I am Really Into doughnuts, inside jokes, trash TV, pizza, 48 Hours & George Michael.

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