Today marked a special occasion: the day I went back to
baking for the first time in… well a long time for me. I’ve been so busy with
my Master’s degree that, unfortunately, baking has fallen to the wayside. But
today I finished an assignment and didn’t quite fancy going back to my other
studying so I thought today was the day that I got cracking the eggs into my
mixing bowl again. So, what did I bake I hear you say? Well I’ve had a
madeleine tray in the cupboard for a long time so I thought I’d dust that off!
Being as it was actually my first time making madeleines, I
used Michel Roux Jr’s recipe, however replaced his preferred lemon flavour with
vanilla and chocolate chips.
Oh and another thing… just as I was melting my butter I
found out (much to my Angel delight) that the battery on the scales was
completely gone. I was forced to guestimate with tablespoons instead. Luckily
everything turned out smoothly (or springy to the touch and light as you will
soon find out).
Before you go any further, make sure you have a madeleine tray!
Here's my version of Michel Roux Jr's madeleines, complete with tablespoon measurements:
100g caster sugar (8 level tablespoons)
100g butter, melted (use the measurements on the block to
help you)
100g plain flour (8 level tablespoons)
2 eggs
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
25g chocolate chips (either pick one type or mix ‘n’ match)
-1 tablespoon extra melted butter and plain flour for
dusting the madeleine tray.
-icing sugar to decorate
Method
1)
Melt the extra tablespoon of butter and brush
around a madeleine tray with a pastry brush. Sieve a couple of tablespoons of
flour over the madeleine tray and tap off any excess.
2)
Preheat the oven to Gas 6/ 200°C/
400F. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until frothy
and slightly thickened. Sieve in the flour and baking powder, and add the
vanilla extract and melted butter. Fold everything together gently with a
spatula and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
3)
Stir through the batter once more and carefully
fill the holes in the madeleine tray. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the
top of each madeleine and push in slightly with your finger. Bake the
madeleines on the middle shelf of the oven for 8-10 minutes until risen and
springy to the touch.
4)
Once baked, leave the madeleines to cool for a
couple of minutes before carefully taking them out of the tray and placing on a
cooling rack. You may need to trim the edges of the madeleines before you take
them out if you overfilled the tray like I did! (Note: don’t overfill the
madeleine tray because batter rises in the oven…)
5)
Once cooled, dust the these cute little French
cakes with a dash of icing sugar and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.
