Madeleines
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Small shell-shaped French sponge cakes with a crisp, buttery edge and a signature dome, made from a lemon-scented batter that is chilled before a hot bake.
Madeleines is a French cake from France, ready in about 2 hours 12 minutes and made with egg, all-purpose flour and unsalted butter. It serves 24 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rest
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 12 min
- Serves
- 24
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 100
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Whisk the eggs (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), honey (opens in a new tab) and lemon zest (opens in a new tab) with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Sift over the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab) and salt and fold in gently with a spatula (opens in a new tab). Fold in the cooled melted butter in two additions until glossy.
Step 3
Cover and chill the batter for at least 1 hour (up to 2 days). The temperature shock between cold batter and hot oven (opens in a new tab) creates the famous bump.
Step 4
Brush a madeleine tray (opens in a new tab) with melted butter, dust with flour and tap out the excess, then chill the tray too. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C (fan 200 °C).
- 5 min
- 220°C · fan 200 °C
- Madeleine tray (opens in a new tab)
- Pastry brush (opens in a new tab)
Step 5
Pipe or spoon the cold batter into the moulds until three-quarters full (don't spread it). Bake 3 minutes, then lower the oven (opens in a new tab) to 190 °C (fan 170 °C) and bake 6–8 minutes more until domed, golden at the edges and springy. Bake in batches.
- 22 min
- 190°C · fan 170 °C after 3 minutes at 220 °C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Piping bag (opens in a new tab)
Step 6
Tap them out of the tray immediately and cool on a rack. They are best within an hour.
About this dish
- Origin
- Lorraine (Commercy), France · Commonly attributedAlso popular in BelgiumMore food from France
- Dish
- Snack · Dessert · Cakes · Sweets & confectionery
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Whipped
- Taste
- buttery, sweet, citrusy
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb - Good for
- Make-ahead · Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Egg · All-purpose flour · Unsalted butter · Sugar · Honey · Lemon zest
- Techniques
- Baking · Emulsification
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
100 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 23 g · recipe makes 24
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 6%
- Carbohydrate 43%
- Fat 51%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 100 kcal | 427 kcal |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 6.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.8 g | 46.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 10.6 g | 45.6 g |
| Sugars | 6 g | 25.6 g |
| Added sugars | 5.9 g | 25.4 g |
| Fibre | 0.2 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 5.7 g | 24.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.4 g | 14.4 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 37 mg | 157 mg |
| Sodium | 36 mg | 154 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.1 g | 0.4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 18 mg
- Calcium
- 17 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 2 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 53 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 21 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- A mini muffin tin works if you have no madeleine tray — you'll get the taste, but not the shell shape.
Common mistakes
- Over-filling the moulds, which causes overflow and no distinct hump.
Serve with
- Warm with tea or coffee, or dipped in melted dark chocolate.
Storage
- Best fresh; keep a day in an airtight tin.
Reheating
- Warm 2–3 minutes in a 160 °C oven.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Egg3 piece · 150 g
- Lemon zest1 piece · 6 g
- All-purpose flour150 g
- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled (or browned for beurre noisette)150 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 20 min
Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.
Rest · about 1 h 10 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 22 min at 220 °C
Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.
Cool · about 10 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 2 h 2 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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