Madeleines a Classic French Recipe that are Easy to Make
Cakes & Cookies · Dessert · Paula Kane · Provencal Recipes · TasteMany people shy away from French cooking and desserts because they seem to complicated. However, the reality is many recipes are quick and easy to make including these classic madeleines. Baked off fresh right before serving is best and easy to do. This recipe is courtesy of Daniel Boulud, but I added a little vanilla. I love vanilla… and I think it makes it just that much tastier. I found this recipe made 22-24 regular size madeleines.

Madeleines
These little sweet treats are not quite cookies and not quite cakes. Easy to make and hard to keep in stock.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon zest or orange zest, finely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla paste (if you have. If not, any good quality vanilla)
- 6 tbsp (¾ stick) unsalted butter melted and warm
- non-stick vegetable oil spray or softened butter
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk baking powder, salt and flour in a small bowl.
- Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, honey and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Whisk in dry ingredients until just incorporated, then whisk in melted butter until smooth.
- Transfer batter to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag and chill at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Lightly coat madeleine pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray (or soft butter) and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
- Snip end off pastry bag (or 1 corner of resealable bag) and pipe batter into each mold, filling two-thirds full.
- Bake madeleines until edges are golden brown and centers are puffed and lightly spring back when gently pressed, about 5 minutes for mini and 8−10 minutes for regular cakes.
- Tap pan against counter to release madeleines.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Notes
Special Equipment: Three 20-cake mini madeleine pans or two 12-cake regular madeleine pans* Vanilla paste is essentially a small jar of scraped-out vanilla pod, so you get the benefit and potency of fresh vanilla with a pretty speckled end product.Batter can be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled until you are ready to bake.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Related Provence Articles
Classic French Madeleine Recipe from Duchess Bake Shop in Edmonton
April 11, 2022
What does one do about a sweet craving? Giselle Courteau found a way to satisfy it. Courteau discovered baking early on and has spent a lifetime perfecting her recipes. This sweet affair has led Courteau to co-ownership of the Duchess Bake Shop, Duchess Atelier, and Cafe Linnea, all in Edmonton, Canada. She is also the …
Remembering My Grandmother’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
July 3, 2020
A Book with Provencal Recipes: Small-town florist Natasha is determined to leave the past far behind her. But when she learns her ex-husband never told his family about their divorce – and that he needs her to accompany him on a trip to the French countryside – could love bloom again between them? ~ Excerpt …
Sweet Citrus Clementine Flavoured Madeleines
April 17, 2017
A génoise type cake batter flavoured with fresh clementine juice and zest make these light and fluffy sponge cakes even more irresistible.…
Make Raspberries and Cream for Dessert
July 18, 2022
It is no wonder why strawberries and cream are a “thing” at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The combination of fruit and cream is light and delicious. Honestly, fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and sweetened cream, I have lost count of how many times I have made this dessert over the last forty years. You can …
No Comment