Madeleines are small, shell-shaped French sponge cakes: crisp at the edges, soft in the middle and perfect with a cup of tea. This version adds a little lime zest and honey. They look fancy, but they're easy to make and take about 30 minutes, plus a little chilling time.
You'll need a madeleine tin, which gives them their famous shell shape. They're best eaten on the day you bake them, ideally still slightly warm.
Ingredients (makes about 16 to 20)
- 140g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 3 large eggs
- 140g caster sugar
- 1 tsp runny honey
- Finely grated zest of 1 lime
- 125g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50ml whole milk
- Icing sugar, to dust (optional)
Method
- Melt the butter gently in a small pan, then leave it to cool.
- Brush the madeleine tin with a little melted butter, dust with flour, tap out the excess and put the tin in the fridge.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk for 5 to 8 minutes, until pale, thick and tripled in volume. The mixture should leave a trail when you lift the whisk.
- Gently stir in the honey and lime zest.
- Sift over the flour and fold it in carefully, then fold in the cooled butter and the milk until just combined.
- Chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day). This helps the madeleines rise and form their classic bump.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Spoon the mixture into the tin, filling each shell about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Leave in the tin for a minute, then turn out onto a wire rack.
- Dust with icing sugar if you like, and serve warm.
Which tea goes with madeleines?
A delicate black tea such as Darjeeling or an Earl Grey picks up the citrus beautifully, while a light green tea lets the buttery flavour shine. For more ideas, see which foods go with which teas, or try our cold tea cake.
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