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    Home » Cakes and Desserts

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    French Madeleines

    French Madeleines with a cup of coffee

    French Madeleines are light, buttery little cakes traditionally baked in scallop-shaped Madeleine moulds.

    French Madeleines with a cup of coffee

    French Madeleines

    Jump to Recipe

    What is a French Madeleine?

    French Madeleines are little semi-sweet cakes made using a Genoese Sponge recipe, where the eggs and sugar are whisked together until they are light and thick. Melted butter and flour are carefully combined with the mixture, keeping the air in the whisked eggs - which is what makes the cakes light.

    This is the only cake from this year's Great British Bake-Off that I have thought about making. The rest are too elaborate and time-consuming for me. Of course, French Madeleines have a reputation for being tricky to make, but a couple of pieces of equipment make a big difference and put them in the category of Everyday Cakes, and using them is the only way I would contemplate making a Genoese sponge, or Madeleines, these days.

    Helpful Equipment

    • Non-stick Madeleine tray – A heavy-duty non-stick tin makes all the difference. I experimented with not greasing for the second and third batches I cooked, and they were fine. This tray is made by Lakeland and will last for years.
    • Stand mixer - This means you can start the eggs and sugar whisking while you get on with the rest of the recipe. As the whisking can take 10 minutes, this is a real labour-saver. I love my Kenwood Chef, similar to the model used on Bake-Off.

    These two items make the difference between hard work (or not bothering at all) and making the recipe manageable.

    There is another factor that makes a difference between successful French Madeleines and not-quite-so-good:

    Do you have to chill the batter for French Madeleines?

    Yes. And no. I made a large batch and cooked the Madeleines in three batches. The first batch had no chill time, the second had 15 minutes and the third had 30 minutes. I have to report that more chilling gave better results. The batter was stiffer and gave a better rise - in particular, the trademark 'camel's hump' on the top of the Madeleine.

    You can get away without chilling, but you will definitely get a better result if you can put the batter in the fridge for half an hour before cooking. Given that the rest of it is so easy, just put aside an extra half-hour to make the Madeleines.

    Don't forget to eat them quickly. These are not cakes that keep for long - but mine don't usually need to. They were gone in a couple of days!

    If you like this…

    …Why don’t you try:

    Almond Macaroons on a patterned plate

    Almond Macaroons - the English kind

    Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and full of almondy sweetness. These Almond Macaroons are quick and easy to make.
    Melting Moments on a patterned plate

    Melting Moments

    Melting Moments are a traditional English biscuit, buttery and crunchy, rolled in oats or coconut. And they have to have a cherry on top.

    Cherry Buns

    Cherry Buns are fun and easy to make with kids. Great for a family tea or party.
    French Madeleines with a cup of coffee
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    French Madeleines

    French Madeleines are light, buttery little cakes traditionally baked in scallop-shaped Madeleine moulds.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Teatime
    Cuisine: French
    Servings: 24 cakes
    Author: [email protected] Cooks

    Ingredients

    • 2 large eggs
    • 100 g caster sugar
    • 100 g butter + extra for greasing the tray
    • 100 g self-raising flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder (2ml)
    • 1 lemon, zested
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    Equipment

    Heavy-duty non-stick Madeleine tray
    Preferably, a stand mixer
    Nylon palette knife

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Lightly grease the Madeleine tray with melted butter, dust with flour and shake off any excess
    • Pay particular attention if your tray is not non-stick
    • Zest the lemon

    For the French Madeleines:

    • Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and pale
      Easiest in a stand mixer - it will take about 10 minutes
    • Melt the butter and allow to cool slightly
    • Sift the flour and baking powder together
    • When the egg mixture is ready, lightly whisk in the other ingredients, using the lowest setting for a few seconds. You may need to use a spoon to carefully stir in any butter that isn't incorporated
      (Flour and baking powder, melted butter, lemon zest)
    • Put the bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes
    • Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 185°C fan/ gas mark 6/ 400°F
    • Spoon the mixture into the moulds so that it is almost at the top, but not quite
      French Madeleines in the baking tin before cooking
    • Bake for 8-10 minutes (mine took 9 minutes) until beginning to turn golden brown. Check after 8 minutes, then after 9 minutes
      French Madeleines in the baking tin
    • Ease out of the tins with a knife (use a nylon knife in a non-stick pan) and cool on a wire rack
    • Repeat with the rest of the mixture
    • Eat as soon as you can.

    Notes

    Everyday Cooks Tips:

    Storage:
    • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, but preferably eat within 2-3 days of making

    More Cakes and Desserts

    • Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
    • Apple Sponge Cake
    • Ginger Shortbread
    • Pear and Almond Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gloria McGuinness says

      June 22, 2022 at 11:31 am

      Would live to make almond madeleines. Do you have a recipe for these please.

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        July 05, 2022 at 1:39 pm

        Hi Gloria, I don't have a recipe for almond madeleines, but it's a great idea.

        Reply
    2. Sophie says

      February 28, 2022 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      Tastes delicious but haven’t been able to create the madeleine ‘hump’ - any tips to achieve this?

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        March 16, 2022 at 7:01 pm

        Hi Sophie, Chilling the batter for 30 minutes gave a better hump than not chilling - does that help?

        Reply
    3. Julie says

      October 26, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      What a brilliant recipe! I made these yesterday and they tasted delicious, so happy to have found a recipe that actually works and tastes great.

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        October 27, 2020 at 4:08 pm

        Hi Julie, Thanks for letting me know - and so pleased you like the recipe 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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