Delicious airy finger food cakes, this French recipe for classic madeleines is as beautiful as it is tasty. A creamy cake in the shape of a shell, with a hint of orange. Their beautiful shape makes them look good on any table at a high tea, on a birthday table, or as dessert.
Orange Madeleines
Madeleines are a traditional French cake recipe from the 17th century. The story goes that a farmer's wife, Madeleine, made these cakes using the ingredients she still had at home (source: Wikipedia). The beauty of Madeleines is its shape because it is reminiscent of scallops.
And do you like small sweet bakes? These chocolate cheesecake cupcakes, Twix cupcakes, and strawberry cake rolls are also irresistibly delicious!
This recipe is adapted from the Dutch blog Carola Bakt Zoethoudertjes.
What do you need for Vanilla Orange Madeleines?
To prepare these Orange Madeleines, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Butter - Use unsalted butter; salt is already added to the recipe. This is a lactose-free recipe if you use vegan margarine in the same proportion. Melt the butter and let it sit for ten minutes (to allow it to cool slightly) before adding it.
- Vanilla Extract - For a touch of vanilla. Don't have vanilla extract? Then use the marrow of one vanilla pod or two teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
- Sugars and Honey - A combination of regular sugar, honey, and brown sugar gives even more flavor to the madeleines.
- Baking powder - Makes the cakes fluffy. Don't have baking powder? Then replace the flour and baking powder with 1 ¼ cup (200 grams) of self-raising flour in this recipe.
- Orange - For a touch of citrus in the cakes. You can also replace this with lemon or lime.
- Confectioner's sugar - Dust the Madeleines with powdered sugar. That melts in your mouth with every bite, making these French cakes even more delicious.
How to prepare Classic Madeleines with Orange
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a mixer. Add both sugar, honey, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Grate the orange zest and put it in the bowl.
- Melt the butter and let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour over the eggs. Mix everything well.
- Place a coarse sieve over the bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Strain so that there are no lumps in the batter. Blend on low for 1 minute.
- Grease the Madeleine mold with butter and pour a small ice cream scoop of the batter into each mold.
- Bake the cakes for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 °F (190 °C).
- Let stand for five minutes and then remove the madeleines from the mold. Let cool further on a rack. Dust with confectioner's sugar.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
Orange Madeleines
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Equipment
- Madeleine mold
Ingredients
1 ¾ stick butter unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs size L
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 oranges zest
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ cup all-purpose flour- 1 tablespoon Butter to grease the madeleine mold
2 tablespoons Confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
375 °F or 
340 °F (190 °C or 170 °C) - Melt the butter and let cool down.1 ¾ stick butter
- Beat the eggs with a mixer and then add the eggs, both sugars, honey, vanilla extract, orange zest, salt, and butter and mix well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 eggs, ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 oranges
- Sift the flour and baking powder over the bowl.1½ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Then mix again for 1 minute.
- Grease the madeleine molds and put the batter into the mold until it is just filled.1 tablespoon Butter
- Bake the madeleines for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from the mold and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar just before serving.2 tablespoons Confectioner's sugar
Notes
- Room temperature - You can keep them in a sealed box for one day. But actually, these airy cakes are best on the day itself.
- Refrigerator - The batter will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
- Freezer - Wrap each madeleine in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container. You can now store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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