French Madeleine Recipe

Madeleine's are everyone's favorite. I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't like these little, tasty cakes!

Madeleine's, the sophisticated little cake treats, are next to tarts and crêpes, exactly what I would typically define traditionally French.

If you don’t know French Madeleine, then I can tell you that you are missing out big time on some of the best tea time treats in this world!

The little cakes are easy and quick to prepare, and guests always appreciate them.

What are Madeleine cakes?

Madeleines are small shell-shaped cakes, popularized in the North-Eastern region of Lorraine in France. Apropos Lorraine, if you remember, I mentioned in another post the Quiche Lorraine which is a savory egg-based pastry specialty from the same region.

These little Madeleine cakes are prepared with a simple flour-based dough, kind of like a muffin or a plain sponge cake.

A Madeleine is commonly flavored with:

• Lemon zest or
• Honey or
• Orange Blossom Water

Besides the common flavors, there are also chocolate Madeleine or variations where almond flour is used.

In fact, the tradition Madeleine are prepared with finely ground nuts such as almonds.

Madeleine cakes are small handy, and you can enjoy them on the run, making Madeleine the perfect takeaway dessert.

Storing

The little cakes are best enjoyed freshly baked, still warm. They get hard over time, but they are still edible days later.

You can store them in a parchment paper laid tin box if you live in a temperate, cold or arid climate. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and place a piece of an apple peel over the parchment paper. The apple peel will keep the Madeleine moist and soft.

Store the cakes in an airtight container if you are located in a tropical environment.

Classic Flavor Tip

Originally, orange blossom water was used to flavor Madeleine cakes.

Orange blossom water is very souther french and North African, it's an essential aroma giver to local sweets there.

Yet, orange blossom water is a very common flavor for french Madeleine, making this your best Madeleine recipe option.

Orange Blossom water can be bought online, in supermarkets, special North African/Mediterranean grocery stores, or you can try to make your own orange flower water infusion at home.

I found this orange blossom water here which seems to be a decent quality.

I used an aged French blossom water. I do have a more recent orange blossom water, which I bought in France.

The old, aged orange blossom water was softer in flavor and had a pure flavor, while the commercial orange blossom water was more intense.

I just want to point that out so that you know how to adjust the amount of orange blossom water to make the Best Madeleine Recipe with this flavoring profile, as it depends on what orange blossom water you are using.

Not all available orange blossom waters taste the same.

Of course, you are free to substitute the orange blossom water with honey or lemon zest in this recipe.

You can try to use almond essence, rose water, cherry essence or rum instead of the orange flower flavors.

History of Madeleine cakes

The history around the Madeleine cakes is quite a controversial one. The Larousse Gastronomique offers various stories around the little cake.

A story goes that a servant called Madeleine Paulmier, from Lorraine, may have been the inverter of the cakes.

From the 19th Century till the 2nd world war, the cakes were sold by saleswoman to the traveling train passengers, who would stick around train stations with their huge straw baskets, shouting out to get noticed for their freshly baked Madeleines.

It used to be a huge attraction and show for travelers because the women had only a certain amount of time to their disposition to sell their Madeleines before the trains were to depart.

That contributed enormously to the popularity of the small handy cakes!

“Throw over a Madeleine” was the sentence and motto of the day. A reminder after a hard day that the world was still soft, warm and welcoming.

A centime coin or two was worth every single comforting bite of a still warm freshly baked Madeleine cake.

More French Recipe ideas:

• Brioche Buns from scratch
• Savory Crepes with Buckwheat Flour
• French Apple Cake with Calvados
• Fluffy Waffles [French Version]