Vanilla Madeleines Recipe (With Video and Step-by-Step)

Vanilla Madeleines

4:56

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 40 mins

Yield:

Makes 32 (or 160 mini)

Madeleines are French tea cakes. They’re baked in a special madeleine pan that produces dainty treats with a scalloped, sea-shell-like side and a humped side. While they might seem fancy, madeleines are made with regular pantry ingredients like butter, flour, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla. They aren’t difficult but you do need to be precise and patient. Our recipe makes a classic vanilla-scented madeleine with a touch of honey that helps keep it moist and adds a delicate perfume. We've also included eight variations so you can enjoy different takes on the madeleine, from chocolate to maple to peanut butter.

6 Tips to Ensure Madeleine Success

A madeleine batter is based on that of a genoise, a light and buttery European-style cake. These tips will ensure a tender result.

Use Room-Temperature Eggs: We often tell you that using room-temperature ingredients is important for getting the best baked goods and we’re repeating it here. Using room-temperature eggs will really make a difference to the madeleines. Room-temperature eggs will triple in volume when beaten; cold eggs don’t. If you forget to take the eggs out of the refrigerator, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes, then proceed.
Don’t Skip the Sift: Use a sieve to sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto the batter, aerating the mixture to prevent lumps.
Prepping the Madeleine Pan: Before adding the batter, always use a pastry brush to get softened butter into every crevice of the scallop shells. It will prevent sticking and help achieve a golden crust.
Filling the Madeleine Molds: A pastry bag will make the quickest, neatest work of filling the prepared molds three-quarters full. Two spoons will also work. Do not overfill; if you do, it will spill over the sides of the mold and create an unwanted crips edge, and it will lessen the amount of hump.
Achieving the Hump: Chill the batter and chill the madeleine pan if you want a good hump—then bake in a preheated hot oven.
Quick Release: Turn the pan of baked madeleines upside down and shake it, and the petite cakes will pop right out. A small offset spatula or paring knife will help along any that resist.

Directions

Combine dry ingredients:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
Cream eggs and sugars:

Whisk together eggs and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

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After about 10 minutes of beating, the eggs and sugar will be pale and fluffy-smooth. Watch for the "ribbon" stage. When the beater is raised, a thick ribbon will slowly fall back into the bowl.

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Sift dry ingredients into eggs and sugar, in two additions:

Sift flour mixture over top in 2 additions, folding in after each addition.

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Don't stir (which will deflate the batter). Instead, plunge a rubber spatula into the bowl's center. Cut through to the edge, lift, and turn batter over the flour. Give the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until flour is incorporated.

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Add melted butter, then honey and vanilla; refrigerate:

Fold in melted butter in 2 additions, then honey and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours.

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Preheat oven; remove batter from fridge and prep pans:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let batter stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Generously butter 2 standard-size or 2 mini nonstick or aluminum madeleine pans using a pastry brush.

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Pipe batter into molds:

Transfer batter to a pastry bag, and snip tip to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe some batter into molds, filling each about three-quarters full.

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Bake:

Bake on middle rack until pale gold, 8 to 11 minutes (6 to 8 minutes for mini madeleines). Immediately shake madeleines out. Wash and rebutter molds. Repeat with remaining batter. Dust baked madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

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If using a nonstick pan, which heats up faster than a traditional one, go by the shorter baking time.

Storing Madeleines

Madeleine batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Madeleines are best enjoyed the day they are made. They become dry over time. If you have any leftovers, dunk them in coffee or tea as you eat them.

Variations

We'll always love the classic, but we couldn't resist experimenting with a range of flavors.

Chocolate

Add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to flour mixture. Fold 8 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate into batter before baking. Dust baked madeleines with cocoa powder.

Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Use only 1 1/2 sticks butter; add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil to melted butter. Sprinkle a very small pinch of sea salt into buttered madeleine molds before piping in batter.

Maple

Omit honey. Reduce 1/2 cup pure maple syrup by half over medium-low heat, about 15 minutes; add to melted butter. For maple glaze, whisk together 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Let cool for at least 1 hour. Brush onto scalloped side of baked madeleines. (Makes enough for 1 batch.)

Jasmine Green Tea

Grind 1/4 cup best-quality jasmine green tea in a spice grinder until powdery; add to flour mixture.

Black and White

Transfer half the batter to a bowl. Stir 4 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder into half the batter. Pipe chocolate batter into one half of each mold, then pipe vanilla batter into remaining half of mold.

Spice

Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger to flour mixture. For cream cheese glaze, stir together 6 ounces room-temperature cream cheese and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk. Dip scalloped side of each baked madeleine into glaze, and wipe excess off sides. Grate cinnamon sticks over glaze, dusting tops. (Makes enough for 1 batch.)

Peanut Butter

Use only 1 1/2 sticks butter, and add 1/4 cup natural peanut butter when melting butter. Sprinkle madeleines with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts before baking. Cut baked madeleines in half lengthwise through center, and sandwich each with strawberry jam.

Lemon

Reduce 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice by half over medium heat, about 15 minutes; add to batter with 1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest (from 4 lemons) before adding flour mixture. For lemon glaze, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons). Dip scalloped side of each baked madeleine into glaze, and wipe excess off sides. (Makes enough for 1 batch.)

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of a madeleine pan?

Instead of a madeleine pan, you can use a mini muffin pan, min tart pan or mold, mini popover pan, or mini scone pan if you have one. Each may not have the same capacity as the madeleine molds, so you may be able to make more (smaller) madeleines when you use these alternative pans.
What is the difference between financiers and madeleines?

The difference between financiers and madeleines is simple. Both are individual French cakes, but financiers are richer, and madeleines have a drier cake texture. Financiers contain ground nuts, usually almonds, and have a higher butter content, whilst madeleines can be flavored in many different ways, from orange to green tea to chocolate. Also, financiers are leavened by egg whites while madeleines also use baking powder.
How do you eat madeleines?

The best way to eat madeleines is while they are still fresh, preferably warm from the oven. They should be presented with their scallop side up, hump side down. They make a great goûter as the French call an afternoon snack.

Other French Dessert Recipes to Try:

Updated by

Victoria Spencer

Vanilla Madeleines

6 Tips to Ensure Madeleine Success

Directions

Combine dry ingredients:

Cream eggs and sugars:

Sift dry ingredients into eggs and sugar, in two additions:

Add melted butter, then honey and vanilla; refrigerate:

Preheat oven; remove batter from fridge and prep pans:

Pipe batter into molds:

Bake: