Classic French Madeleines

When I lived in Antibes, France for a semester, we used to eat these cheap individually packaged Madeleines bought from the local Carrefour. On the other hand, the real Madeleine is a sensational melt-in-your-mouth treat. Plus, you can make the batter ahead of time and bake a la minute to impress your guests.

Inspired by Mimi Thorisson's cookbook, A Kitchen in France, I decided to tackle the French Madeleine and to try different recipes until I found the perfect one.

I tried the one in her cookbook and found them dense, tricky to handle, and a little too sweet.  The following weekend, I tried pastry expert David Leibovitz's recipe next. The edges were crispy and the flavor was nice but they lacked the signature hump on the back.

A few days later, Bon Appetit - one of my favorite magazines - fortuitously posted Chef Daniel Boulud's classic Madeleine recipe on their Facebook. His version of these butter cakes came out light as air and perfectly browned. For me, this recipe is a winner.

Recipe after the jump.

Classic French Madeleines
from Daniel Boulud via Bon Appetit

1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 large eggs ⅓ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1 tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon or orange zest 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted, warm Nonstick vegetable oil spray Powdered sugar

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 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 (you may have a little batter left over). 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. Do Ahead: Batter can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.