Madeleines

Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. The flavor is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, sponge cake.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup unsalted butter (one stick), melted until browned and cooled

½ tbsp orange zest or lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

powdered sugar, optional

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a madeleine pan well with nonstick baking spray or softened butter. 

Use a handheld or stand mixer to beat the sugar and eggs together until well-combined and pale yellow in color. Add in the flour and baking soda and quickly mix to incorporate. Add in the orange zest, vanilla extract, and melted butter before giving the batter a final mix to get everything combined.

Use a large spoon to scoop out a heaping tablespoon worth of batter into each madeleine shell. No need to spread out the batter to fill out the mold; the batter will spread as it bakes.  Bake the madeleines for approximately 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers no longer jiggle. Cool the madeleines in the pan for a few minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.