Classic French Madeleines

By mitzzy

These are sophisticated (but easy to make) little snack cakes, French style- somewhat like a mini cupcake/poundcake. You just need a madeleine mold for these.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Melt and cool butter. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk, at high speed, the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until pale mixture forms. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, flour and corn starch.

Drizzle butter into egg/sugar mixture. Then, on slow speed, dust in a tablespoon or two at a time of dry ingredients until all are incorporated.

Let batter rest 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Generously grease 12 small or medium muffin cups, 12 to 18 traditional madeleine molds or 24 mini-madeleine molds, or 12 mini Bundt molds. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet.

Spoon batter into prepared molds. Bake 10-12 minutes (for smaller cakes) 12-14 minutes (for larger ones) until they are puffed, set and starting to brown around the edges. Cool on a rack.

Makes 1 dozen

Variation - currant madeleines

Fold in 1/2 cup plumped, dried currants into batter