Madeleines — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Dainty shell-shaped sponge cakes with a golden hump, tender crumb scented with lemon zest and brown butter — Proust's most famous mouthful.

Ingredients

1 Brown the butter in a saucepan until nutty and amber. Cool slightly.
2 Whisk eggs and sugar until thick and pale, about 3 min.
3 Fold in flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest gently. Stir in brown butter and honey.
4 Cover batter and refrigerate at least 1 hour (overnight is best for the signature hump).
5 Butter and flour a madeleine pan generously. Spoon batter into each shell mould (about 1 tbsp each).
6 Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10-12 min until golden with a pronounced hump. Unmould immediately, dust with powdered sugar.

Did You Know?

Marcel Proust's entire seven-volume novel In Search of Lost Time is triggered by the taste of a madeleine dipped in linden-blossom tea.