Lemon Madeleines

Mother’s Day is here! Celebrate the day with these pretty little French-inspired Lemon Madeleine cakes and a cup of tea. They will make you and your mother feel like you’re on a quick trip to Paris.

Paris is full of magical places, beauty, style, charm, and wonderful baked goods! Madeleines bring me back to my trip to Paris with my youngest daughter where we celebrated her birthday in October. We spent sunny fall afternoons strolling and enjoying sites then relaxing on patios at bakery cafés. We enjoyed baguette sandwiches, freshly baked Madeleines and glasses of wine while taking in the lovely street views. Paris, the “City of Light,” was a wonderful place to explore and experience with my daughter. It was an unforgettable trip as it gifted me with precious mother-daughter memories. I miss her a lot since she currently lives in London, England.

This was my daughter’s third (or maybe fourth) time in Paris. She was an excellent tour guide and whisked me around easily to all the sites and restaurants making sure I enjoyed all the traditional French treats along the way. Based on her experiences, she claims the quintessential French treat in Paris is the macaron from Ladurée. Yes, I agree they have the best macarons and the most beautiful shop and restaurant … but in my opinion, it was the Madeleines (especially the lemon ones) we found in bakery cafés that surpassed them! Although I must confess, the chocolate croissants and the crepes came pretty close!

This year for Mother’s Day, I will be in London with my daughter. England celebrates “Mothering Sunday” in March, but this year, my daughter and I are bringing Canadian Mother’s Day to England in May! We won’t have the chance to hop over to Paris for a quick side trip on this visit, but I will definitely bake a batch of these Lemon Madeleines while in her London flat. It will make us feel like we’re in Paris again! I can’t tell you how excited I am to have this opportunity to spend Mother’s Day with my youngest daughter. This is truly a special event that will create many more memories as we haven’t been together for Mother’s Day for many years.

Now I can’t forget about my own Mother! I’ll miss seeing her on Mother’s Day this year. But I’ll make it up to her when I return home by baking her a batch of these Lemon Madeleines. My Mom loves anything lemon (and I do too) so I know she’ll love these treats. Since she’s Italian, she tends to be partial to Italian-style baked goods so these lemony French treats will be a real surprise for her!

In case you didn’t know, madeleines are delicate little French butter cakes with a puffy shell-like shape and a soft cake-like texture. They come in many flavours (but lemon is my favourite). They are baked in special scallop-shaped molds which give them their distinct and pretty shape. Ideally, they are best eaten the same day they are baked. But that won’t be a problem because they’ll be devoured in no time!

After my trip to Paris, I had a craving for Lemon Madeleines and I knew I had to develop my own recipe! To create this recipe, I simply took a basic vanilla Madeleine recipe, added lemon zest and glazed them with a light lemon glaze to complement the rich flavour of the little cakes. The end result was a perfectly delightful lemony treat.

Madeleines also make an ideal treat for bridal showers, baby showers or afternoon tea with girlfriends. Recently my sister and I hosted a baby shower for her daughter. I made these Lemon Madeleines but changed them up by adding pale pink food colouring and pink glitter and called them “Pink Lemonade Madeleines”. They were perfect for our pink theme for a mom-to-be expecting a girl!

To compensate for the absence of baking powder in the recipe, the dough needs to be chilled before baking. Baking chilled batter ensures the Madeleines will rise up to their distinctive mounded shape. As a time-saver, you can make the batter hours or a day ahead, refrigerate it and then bake when needed.

Madeleine baking pans can be found in many kitchen shops. Based on two tablespoons of batter per Madeleine, the baking time can vary between 8 to 12 minutes depending on the type of Madeleine pan being used. Metal pans typically need 8 – 10 minutes, silicone pans about 10 minutes and aluminum pans up to 12 minutes.

If you ever wondered why these cookies are called Madeleines? Here’s a bit of 18th to 20th Century history for you so you can learn more about them!

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Lemon Madeleines

Baked Lemon Madeleines with a soft cake-like texture. Based on two tablespoons of batter per Madeleine, the baking time can vary between 8 to 12 minutes depending on the type of Madeleine pan being used. Metal pans typically need 8 – 10 minutes, silicone pans about 10 minutes and aluminum pans up to 12 minutes.

Ingredients

Madeleine Cookies

• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), melted

Lemon Glaze

• ½ cup icing sugar
• 4 - 5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Add 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest to the sugar. Stir to combine to infuse the sugar with lemon flavour.
2. With an electric mixer at medium speed, beat eggs, lemon infused sugar and vanilla until creamy.
3. Into a medium bowl sift the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add sifted flour, beating until blended, scraping down the sides as necessary.
4. Increase mixer speed to medium, slowly add melted butter while beating until combined and the batter is smooth and thick. Cover the bowl and chill batter in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the insides of the indentations of a Madeleine pan with melted butter. Unless you have two pans, you will have to bake in two batches.
6. Spoon about 2 level tablespoons of batter into each indentation. No need to spread the batter as it will fill the mold as it bakes. Set aside remaining batter. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes (time will depend on the type of pan being used) until puffed and just lightly golden on the edges. Cool in pan for 1 minute. Gently remove Madeleines from the pan on to a rack to cool completely.

7. Wipe out the pan and repeat process by brushing the indentations with melted butter again and spooning in remaining batter until all batter is used up.

8. Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Lightly brush the glaze on the patterned side of each Madeleine and sprinkle the cookies evenly with 4 teaspoons lemon zest. Place the cookies on a rack to set. Serve at room temperature.