Madeleines are an elegant dessert and are a testament to the timeless allure of French baking. They are petite cakes and a delicacy in France. Every bite is like transporting yourself to a sweet little Parisian cafe while enjoying a Café au lait, perfect for dipping your Madeleine. And I highly recommend serving them alongside a steaming cup of your favourite brew, whether coffee or tea, one just goes with the other!
These vanilla Madeleines are a simple sponge cake with a hint of lemon zest. What sets them apart is the decadent strawberry glaze that coats each one. The glaze is made from ripe, juicy strawberries giving each cake a little added sweetness.
Ingredients
Vanilla Madeleines is a simple sponge cake recipe with simple ingredients. Eggs, sugar, and flour form the foundation of these dainty delights, providing its spongy structure. However, the hero ingredient is pure vanilla extract, which elevates these miniature cakes. It’s important to use pure vanilla and good quality. I buy my pure extracts at my local Bulk Barn, where they have a variety of natural and pure extracts to choose from.
The strawberry glaze is the sweet touch that makes these vanilla Madeleines more special.
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Liquid honey
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Icing sugar
- Warm water
- Fresh strawberries
Variation
These vanilla Madeleine cookies are simple in flavour making them versatile for adding and changing flavour profiles. While traditional Madeleines have a delicate, buttery flavour with hints of vanilla and citrus, there are numerous ways to enhance and customize their taste. Here are a few options:
- Almond: Adding almond extract can impart a subtle nuttiness and depth of flavour. Substitute the vanilla extract for almond and leave out the lemon zest.
- Chocolate: For chocolate lovers, adding cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the batter can transform traditional Madeleines into decadent chocolate treats. Leave out the lemon zest if adding chocolate.
- Floral: Infusing the batter with floral flavours such as lavender, rosewater, or orange blossom can impart a delicate and aromatic quality to Madeleines. Substitute floral flavours for the vanilla extract, you may want to keep the lemon zest or add another zest that pairs well.
Tips For The Perfect Vanilla Madeleines
- Plan Ahead: Make sure to read through the entire recipe so you know how to plan. The batter doesn’t take long to make but for best results chill the batter overnight.
- Precision Matters: Follow the directions exactly as technique is very important. You want to fold the ingredients when mentioned. This will create that spongy cake texture.
- Sift the Flour: Make sure to sift the flour, this will help to create a light and fluffy cake.
- Serve Fresh: Madeleines are best served the same day, warm from the oven. However, you can refrigerate the batter for up to 3 days, allowing for fresh batches whenever desired.
- Chill the Batter: It’s very important to refrigerate the batter for at least 2 hours, but as I mentioned overnight is best. The batter needs to be very cold before baking. This thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bumpy’ round Madeleine.
- Prep the Pans: Make sure your madeleine pans are well prepped by brushing each mould with melted butter and flouring the pans. This ensures an easy release of your cakes.
- Mindful Filling: When filling the batter in the moulds be careful not to overfill or spread out the batter. Leave the batter in the middle of each mould and let it do its own thing while it bakes in the oven.
- Use Ripe Strawberries: For the glaze, opt for fresh strawberries that are almost overripe to maximize flavour. Use room temperature strawberries as they are juicier, resulting in a more vibrant and flavourful glaze.
More Sweet French Recipes
How to Make Vanilla Madeleines with Strawberry Glaze
Step One: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat eggs and egg white, sugar, honey and salt until pale and thick, approx. 5-6 minutes. In a small saucepan melt the butter with the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Remove from the heat and let the butter mixture cool until just warm.
Step Two: Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift flour with baking powder. Add a third of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and lightly fold to combine. Do this two more times until all the flour is combined with the egg mixture.
Step Three: In a separate, small bowl combine the warm butter with approx. ¼ of the batter, whisk to combine. Then, add the mixture to your batter and lightly fold just until combined. Cover the batter in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the next day.
Step Four: Prepare Madeleine pans. Drop a tablespoon size of batter into the middle of each mould (do not spread the batter out or overfill the moulds). Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes or until the sides are browning and the cakes lightly spring back. Slide Madeleines onto a cooling rack.
Step Five: Meanwhile make your strawberry glaze. Using a sieve, squish strawberries to remove the juices. Discard the pulp and seeds. In a small bowl add icing sugar and strawberry juice and whisk to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time to reach the desired consistency for dipping. Add a drop of vanilla extract (optional). If you want a stronger pink colour add a drop or two of red food colouring.
Step Six: Once the Madeleines are cool dip the tops into the strawberry glaze. Place the dipped Madeleines on a wire rack for the icing to set. Dust with icing sugar (optional).
Vanilla Madeleines with Strawberry Glaze
These sweet little vanilla Madeleines are a classic French dessert. The mini cakes are light, spongy and dipped in a strawberry glaze to add just a little sweetness for a fruity bite. They make the perfect treat to share with your loved ones for any special occasion.Â
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 42 1x
- Category: Cake & Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Cakes
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg white
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon liquid honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- zest of one lemon
Strawberry Glaze
- 4–5 fresh strawberries, large and ripe
- 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 2–3 teaspoons warm water
- 1 drop pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat eggs and egg white, sugar, honey and salt until pale and thick, approx. 5-6 minutes (on medium-high speed).
- In a small saucepan melt the butter with the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Remove from the heat and let the butter mixture cool until just warm. Set aside.
- Meanwhile in a separate bowl, sift flour with baking powder. Add a third of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and lightly fold to combine. Do this two more times until all the flour is combined with the egg mixture.
- In a separate, small bowl combine the warm butter with approx. ¼ of the batter, whisk to combine. Then, add the mixture to your batter and lightly fold just until combined.
- Cover the batter in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the next day (overnight is best). It is very important for the batter to be cold before baking, the thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bump’ on the Madeleine.
- Preheat oven to 350ËšF.
- Prepare Madeleine pans. Melt approx. a tablespoon of butter and brush each mould with the melted butter. Add flour to each mould and shake the pan to ensure you cover each mould with flour. Dump out any extra flour.
- Drop a tablespoon size of batter into the middle of each mould (do not spread the batter out or overfill the moulds).
- Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes or until the sides are browning and the cakes lightly spring back.
- Slide Madeleines onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile make your strawberry glaze.
- Using a sieve, squish strawberries to remove the juices. Discard the pulp and seeds.Â
- In a small bowl add icing sugar and strawberry juice and whisk to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time to reach the desired consistency for dipping. Add more water for a thinner glaze and more icing sugar to thicken the glaze. Add a drop of vanilla extract (optional). If you want a stronger pink colour add a drop or two of red food colouring.
- Once the Madeleines are cool dip the tops into the strawberry glaze. Place the dipped Madeleines on a wire rack for the icing to set. Dust with icing sugar (optional).
Notes
Madeleines are best served the same day. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days or freeze for a month.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 51
- Sugar: 5.7g
- Sodium: 21mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 6.8g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 3mg
FAQ’s
French Madeleines are famous for their classic “hump” and their sea-shell shape. Having a Madeleine pan will help achieve the classic, perfect mini cakes. But if you don’t have a Madeleine pan you can use mini muffin tins instead.
Thermal shock in baking terms refers to the rapid change in temperature that occurs when a baked good, such as batter (or dough), is exposed to a significantly different temperature. For example, when chilled batter is placed into a hot oven it undergoes a thermal shock as it transitions from cold to hot temperatures. This sudden change can have several effects on the final baked product. In the case of French Madeleines, the thermal shock helps create the characteristic “bump” on the back of the cake by quickly expanding the batter in the hot oven.
Madeleines are a traditional French pastry that originated in the town of Commercy in the Lorraine region of northeastern France. Legend has it that Madeleines were created by a maid named Madeleine in the 18th century. According to the story, she baked the cakes for Stanislaus I, the Duke of Lorraine, who was visiting the region. The Duke loved the cakes so much that they became a local specialty and eventually gained popularity beyond the borders of Lorraine. Today, Madeleines are a staple in French patisseries and bakeries. They are often enjoyed as a simple treat with tea or coffee.
This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your baking needs! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this recipe.
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