Madeleines
Classic French shell-shaped tea cakes with a proud hump, fragrant with lemon zest, honey and melted butter.
Method
Melt the batter butter in a small pan over low heat for , then take it off the heat and let it cool until just lukewarm (warm to a fingertip, about 40 °C). Hot butter cooks the egg and makes the batter greasy.
Add in this stepUnsalted butter (for the batter) 50 g
low heatIn a bowl, whisk the egg, sugar, salt, finely grated lemon zest (yellow part only) and honey for , until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns slightly paler. If you need half an egg, beat one egg and use half of it (about 25 g). There is no need to whip in lots of air.
Add in this stepEgg, at room temperature 1Granulated sugar 50 gSalt 1 pinchLemon (zest only) ½Honey 1 tsp
Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Overmixing develops gluten and makes them tough.
Add in this stepPlain flour (cake or all-purpose) 50 gBaking powder ½ tsp
Pour in the cooled melted butter in two additions, stirring until the batter is smooth and glossy. It may look split at first; keep stirring and it comes together.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least . Cold batter hitting a hot oven is what makes the famous hump. Meanwhile, brush every shell of the madeleine tray carefully with soft butter, dust with flour, turn the tray over and tap out the excess, then chill the tray too.
Add in this stepSoft butter for the tray 8 gFlour for dusting the tray 1 tsp
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (oven) for . Spoon or pipe the cold batter into 12 shells, filling each three-quarters full. Don't spread it out; leave a mound in the centre and the heat will level it.
ovenBake on the middle shelf for . With one 12-shell tray that is 1 round(s); keep the second round of batter and the re-buttered tray in the fridge until it goes in. They are done when the centres have domed, the edges are deep golden and the tops spring back when pressed. Turn them out immediately by tapping the tray upside down, and cool on a rack.
Cook's tip
They are best within an hour, while the edges are still slightly crisp; keep leftovers airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days. No hump usually means the batter was not rested long enough or the oven was not fully hot. If they stick, butter and flour the tray more thoroughly next time.
Cooking it at camp
At a campsite you can bake them in a lidded Dutch oven with a small madeleine tray or muffin cups inside and coals above and below, but the uneven heat means a smaller hump. Baking them at home and packing them in an airtight box is the reliable option.