Madeleines with Lemon Glaze

One of the things I love about having a blog is that it gives me a reason to try recipes that I have never tasted or perhaps normally wouldn't try making. Madeleines fit into the former category.
I bought this madeleine pan quite a while ago and, if truth be told, did attempt to make these petit elegant French cakes once, with disasterous results, and the pan was quickly stashed away with the other unused pans and molds.
So when I decided to dust off the pan and try again, I looked for recipes from those I knew would be familiar with French baking and decided to go with David Lebovitz's recipe.
Madeleines are actually pretty simple to make. The tricky part, if there is one, is in the folding of the batter ingredients. Folding always requires a gentle hand but other than that, it's a piece of cake!
This recipe results in light, lemony little cakes and if you choose to dip them with the lemon glaze they are just that much more lemony! ( I tried a few dipped in chocolate but I didn't care for the taste. I think it was the lemon flavor with the chocolate that didn't work).

So begin by preparing your pan. Brush the pan generously with melted butter.

Then dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Then pop the pan into the fridge or freezer and make the batter.

In a mixer bowl, whip the room temperature eggs, sugar and salt for 5 minutes til frothy and thickened.

Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl and spoon it into a sifter ( over the egg mixture).

Using a rubber spatula, sift the flour slowly over the egg mixture and fold it in gently. Be sure to incorporate all the flour. Just be careful not to overmix it because you will continue to fold with the melted butter in the next step.

Add the lemon zest to the melted butter and give that a stir.

Then spoon the butter, several teaspoonfuls at a time, folding into the batter, again, gently and til it's all just incorporated.

Cover the batter with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for at least one hour or up to 12 hours.

There..the tricky part is over!

Once you're ready to bake them, just spoon about a tablespoonful into the little shell molds. Don't bother to spread them around, they spread on their own as they bake.

While they're baking, you can make the lemon glaze.

Once they come out of the oven, you can just pop them out of their molds.

As soon as they're cool enough to handle, either dip them into the glaze,coating both sides or spoon a little glaze over both sides of them.
Then let them set up and enjoy!

Madeleines with Lemon Glaze ( from David Lebovitz's recipe)

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen large


3 large eggs, room temp.

2/3 cup granulated sugar

rounded 1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder

zest of one lemon

9 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp.

Glaze:

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp. water

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1. Brush molds with melted butter, then dust with flour, tap out the excess and place in fridge or freezer.

2. In a medium mixer bowl, whip the eggs, sugar and salt for 5 minutes, til thickened and frothy.

3. Spoon the flour and baking powder into a sifter and using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter.( Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it).

4. Add lemon zest to cooled butter, then drizzle butter into batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate butter. ( My butter slightly solidified as it cooled so I had to spoon it in). Fold just til all the butter is incorporated.

5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour or up to 12 hours.

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When ready to bake:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Spoon about a tablespoonful of batter into each mold. Don't spread the batter.

3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes, or til cakes feel set.

4. Make glaze while they're baking by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl til smooth.

5. Remove cakes from pan and while still slightly warm, dip or spoon glaze on both sides of madeleines. Allow glaze to set.

These are best eaten the day they're made. I would place them into an airtight container into the fridge if not eating them all the day they're made and bring to room temp. before eating.