These Madeleines are small, buttery French cakes with delicate shell-shaped ridges, lightly golden edges, and a soft vanilla-honey center. The batter comes together with simple ingredients, chills until thick, and bakes into beautiful little cakes that are perfect with coffee or tea.
These Little French Cakes Look Much Fancier Than the Work Involved.There is something about a tray of freshly baked madeleines that instantly makes coffee feel more important.
Maybe it’s the shell shape.
Maybe it’s the powdered sugar.
Or maybe it’s the fact that they look like something you picked up at a French bakery even though the batter itself is wonderfully straightforward.
This madeleines recipe has a soft vanilla-honey flavor with plenty of butter, lightly crisp golden edges, and that tender little cake texture in the middle.
The batter gets a short rest in the refrigerator before baking. Chilled madeleine batter is common in established madeleine methods; King Arthur’s vanilla version rests for about 45 minutes, and its chocolate version chills for an hour. Their baking guide also notes that chilling can help hydrate the flour and relax the batter before baking. King Arthur Baking’s madeleine guide.
If small bakery-style treats are your thing, my Mini Cinnamon Muffins are soft little cinnamon-sugar bites with a similarly easy individual serving size. For another treat that belongs beside tea, try my Greek Cretan Biscuits with toasted almonds and buttery edges.
For a full afternoon-tea kind of situation, I would add my English Scones with Jam and Cream, and when coffee isn’t happening, a mug of Homemade Hot Chocolate is a very good place for one warm madeleine to disappear.
Table of contents
Ingredients
How to Make Madeleines
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt until evenly distributed.
- Whisk eggs + sugar. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together, pale, foamy thick.
- Add dry to wet. Whisk and fold the flour mixture to egg mixture, just until silky smooth and no dry streaks can be seen.
- Add the liquids. Whisk in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, honey and melted butter until the batter is smooth.
- Chill the batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting silicone lid and refrigerate until the batter is thickened.
- Fold and prep for piping. Mix/fold the cold batter to spread it out. Pop into your favorite piping bag, or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.
- Prepare the pan. Generously coat the madeleine mold with canola oil spray (taking care to get into all the ridges).
- Fill the molds. Pipe the batter into each cavity, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake. Bake until puffed and golden, and the tops spring back gently when touched.
- Cool + serve. Unmold and cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Why Chill Madeleine Batter?
The chilling step isn’t just waiting around for dessert.
It thickens the batter before it goes into the shaped pan.
King Arthur’s madeleine guide notes that resting the batter can allow the flour to hydrate and gluten to relax, helping produce a delicate texture. The guide also discusses using temperature contrast between a cold prepared pan and the hot oven to encourage the characteristic madeleine hump.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Using cold eggs, which can make the batter harder to whip properly.
- Skipping the chilling time, which helps create the classic madeleine hump.
- Overmixing the batter after adding the flour.
- Using hot melted butter instead of cooled melted butter.
- Not greasing the madeleine pan well enough.
- Filling the molds too full, which can make the madeleines lose their shape.
- Overbaking them until they become dry instead of soft and tender.
What To Serve With Madeleines Recipe
Madeleines are delicious served with hot coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate, or a glass of cold milk. They also pair well with lemon curd, fresh berries, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, or a simple dessert tray for brunch, holidays, and afternoon tea.
FAQs
The chilling thickens the batter, and it bakes up into a better shape and texture.
Yes, though you will not achieve the classic shell shape; baking time might be slightly different.
About 3/4 way full so they puff, but don’t flow over.
They should be golden and spring back lightly when touched on the top.
The pan was not greased well enough, especially in the ripples — splash on more spray next time.
Yes — cover it and leave it in the fridge, then pipe and bake when you’re ready.
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Madeleines
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- In a second bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until pale and foamy.
- Add the dry mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Stir in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, honey, and melted butter until fully combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until the batter thickens.
- Fold the batter to smooth it out, then transfer to a piping bag.
- Spray the madeleine pan well with canola oil spray.
- Pipe batter into each cavity, filling about 3/4 full.
- Bake until puffed and golden, and the tops spring back lightly.
- Cool briefly, unmold, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- For best release, spray the ridges thoroughly and unmold while the cakes are still warm.
- Regular granulated sugar can replace caster sugar.
- Honey can be swapped with maple syrup.
- Optional flavor add-ins: lemon zest, orange zest, or a dip in melted chocolate after cooling.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
