madeleines

Sally McKenney’s madeleines are small French butter cakes with a scalloped shell shape, crisp edges and an airy middle. Her version adds lemon zest and vanilla as optional flavourings, with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar also optional.

Eggs and granulated sugar are beaten until pale, thick and ribbon-forming. The selected lemon zest and vanilla are mixed in before sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt are folded gently into the egg mixture.

A small portion of that batter is mixed into melted, slightly cooled butter, then returned to the main batter. The combined mixture chills briefly before baking, while a separate portion of melted butter brushes the scalloped pan.

Generous spoonfuls of batter sit in the centres of the moulds without being spread to the edges. The madeleines bake until their tops spring back, then are turned out and moved to a rack to cool lightly.

McKenney recommends enjoying them soon after baking, when their contrasting textures are most apparent. She credits her recipe as an adaptation of Julia Child’s, with changes to sugar, temperature, flour handling and baking powder.