Madelines

Making Madelines

This week, I've been playing around with a few different recipes  for these delicate fluffy cakes which are often served at french high teas.

The story of their invention is quite interesting.  Apparently, the father of Marie Antoinette (Queen of France) asked his kitchen aid to make a little cake to serve with tea for some visiting dignitaries. They were so well received he sent a batch to his daughter, the Queen.  She was very impressed and made them a part of the French Royal high tea.  They were going to be named "The Queen's Cake", but Marie Antoinette insisted they be named after their creator "Madeline". Maybe Marie Antionette's famously quoted "Let them eat cake" was referring to madelines?

As there are many recipes out there, I decided upon a game plan.  I researched the recipes and found that each one fell into one of three groups, the quick method, the traditional method and the modern take on a classic.  I chose one recipe from each of these groups and began baking.

The three recipes are from: 

Batches from recipes one and two

• Sarah Randell's The food of France (recipe one)
• Andre Domine's Culinaria France (recipe two)
• Rick Stein's French Oddessy (recipe three)

 The three recipes varied greatly in the quantities of staple ingredients they used.  In order to compare, I have listed the quantities of butter, eggs and sugar used in each recipe:

Recipe one:
140g butter, 2 eggs, 120g caster sugar

Recipe two:
400g butter, 9 eggs, 450g caster sugar

Recipe three:
120g butter, 5 eggs, 200g caster sugar

Another important variation is that recipes one and three asked for lemon zest as flavoring, whereas recipe two used honey and vanilla as a modern variation.

When deciding upon a favorite, taste, effort to make and amount of staple ingredients were the three deciding factors.

Recipe one was medium in the amount of staple ingredients it used, and it did require resting time of 2 hours, but the taste was sublime.  Light, fluffy and not overpowering in its sweetness.

Recipe two used a lot of staples and also required two hours to rest and they were light and fluffy, but they were very sweet.

Recipe three was light on the amount of staple ingredients it required, were very quick to make, but the cakes were dense and tasted eggy.  Fail!




 And so, after much sampling and taste testing (why not!) I have a winner! Recipe one by a large margin. Please feel free to give them a go..it is worth the effort and they keep for up to three days in an air tight container.

WINNER!

Makes 12 Madelines

100g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
120g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
140g salted butter, melted
zest from 1/4 lemon

 In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and sugar, making a well in the centre.  Pour the eggs into the well and fold them into the mix with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the melted butter and zest. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 oC and grease the shell shaped madeline tray.  Spoon the batter into the mould until 3/4 full.  Reduce the oven temperature to 180oC and cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

Unmould onto a wire rack to cool before serving. Sprinkle with icing sugar prior to serving.