This recipe for madeleines is inspired by Philippe Conticini (@philippe_conticini). In the original recipe, he uses lemon zest and vanilla, a very traditional combination of flavours. Last week, we passed by our neighbourhood’s grocery store and found fresh bergamot. We thought that it could be an exciting twist for our madeleines. And we weren’t wrong! Of course, bergamot is not always easy to find, but we encourage you anyhow to try different blends of citrus zests to make it more interesting. While the recipe is simple, it’s crucial to follow the steps meticulously for the best results.
Our madeleines mould is from De Buyer (available at Souschef) and the recipe is calibrated to its dimensions (7.2 x 4.2cm). It’s an iron mould which allows for faster heat diffusion and features a non-stick coating.
Bergamot madeleines
Course: Dessert, FikaCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
125g flour
150g eggs, at room temperature
140g caster sugar
135g unsalted butter, melted and cooled plus additional to prepare the moulds
50g whole milk
5g baking powder
2tsp honey
1tsp salt
2tsp bergamot zest
1tbsp vegetable oil
Icing sugar to finish
Directions
- Finely grate the bergamot zest and add it along the sugar in a mortar and grind it until all sugar is infused with the zest. If the mortar is small, you can perform this step in batches.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, infused sugar and honey.
- Mix vigorously until frothy and pour in the vegetable oil.
- Then, add all the dry ingredients: sieved flour, baking powder and salt.
- Finally the dairy. Add first the milk, pour the melted butter and whisk until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and cool it down for at least 2 hours.
- Grease the indentations of the madeleine mould with melted butter and coat with a thin layer of flour.
- Portion the batter for each madeleine up to 80% of the De Buyer mould height (13g in each) and refrigerate immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 190C (no fan). Place the mould in the bottom of the oven and drop the temperature to 180C.
- Bake the madeleines for 12min turning the mould around in half way to ensure an even baking.
- Take them out and let them cool down slightly.
- Unmould, dust with the icing sugar and serve with a good tea.
Notes
- This recipe can be executed using only a balloon whisk, however feel free to use the electric mixer if you find it easier.
- Madeleines achieve their large rise as a consequence of the thermal shock between the cold batter and the hot oven. To obtain a large hump, the batter must be chilled before going into the oven.
- The mixture of different kinds of fats (oil, butter, milk, eggs) allow the madeleines to stay soft in cooler temperatures.
- It’s a very simple treat which has to be eaten ideally as soon as possible after baking.