Finally… My Madeleine Recipe!

🌟 Difficulty	⏱️ Time	🍽️ Serves
★ Easy	1 h 30 (incl. resting)	~18–20 medium madeleines

Madeleines are small traditional French sponge cakes, famous for their delicate shell shape, buttery flavor, and soft texture. Somewhere between a small cake and a biscuit, they are perfect with coffee, tea, or as an elegant little treat during the day.

They became especially famous in France after being associated with the region of Lorraine and later through French literature, when writer Marcel Proust described the memory of tasting a madeleine in his famous work In Search of Lost Time.

I had been searching for a reliable madeleine recipe for quite a while… and I think I finally found it !

These madeleines are soft, spongy, buttery, beautifully shaped, and honestly delicious. And the best part? A little freezer trick helps save time while still giving wonderful results. 

I think this may officially become the 50th recipe of my upcoming cookbook Vivian is Baking! 

Ingredients

• 130 g butter, melted and cooled
• 3 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 20 g honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 200 g flour
• 1 sachet baking powder
• Lemon zest
• 60 g warm milk
• Chocolate bars or white chocolate (optional)

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Instructions

1. Mix eggs and sugar: Mix the eggs, sugar, honey, and vanilla.

2. Add the rest:  Add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, warm milk, and melted butter. Mix well.

3. Cover and freeze: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
   👉 In a hurry? Put the batter in the freezer for 15 minutes instead.

4. Preheat the oven to 240°C.

5. Fill: Fill the madeleine silicone moulds about 3/4 full using a spoon or piping bag.

6. Bake: Place in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 200°C. Bake:

• Small moulds: 6–8 min
• Medium: 8–10 min
• Large: 10–12 min

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Chocolate version

Once baked:

1. Remove the madeleines from the moulds.

2. Place a piece of chocolate or white chocolate in each cavity.

3. Return the empty mould briefly to the turned-off warm oven to melt the chocolate.

4. Brush the melted chocolate to coat the mould.

5. Place the madeleine back on top.

6. Refrigerate until set.

The result is absolutely gorgeous ✨

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Variations, Serving & Storing

• You can customize madeleines with orange zest, different chocolates, vanilla, almond extract, or mini chocolate chips.
• They are perfect with coffee or tea, for brunch tables, dessert platters, or as a small afternoon treat.
• Store plain madeleines in a closed container at room temperature for 2–3 days. Chocolate-covered versions are best kept refrigerated, especially in warm weather. 

💡 Kitchen tip

To dry silicone moulds quickly after washing:
👉 Roll them in a kitchen towel and gently tap them on the kitchen counter. Surprisingly effective 😊

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Sometimes the best recipes take time to find. These madeleines are simple, elegant, and perfect with coffee or tea—and I have a feeling they will become a regular in my kitchen from now on!