The madeleine is one of those things that sounds fiddly and isn't. The batter takes ten minutes to make and must rest for at least an hour — overnight is better — but the baking itself is rapid and the results are dramatically good for the effort involved. Brown butter adds a nutty depth that plain melted butter cannot provide, and steeping Earl Grey in the warm butter before browning it completely transforms the flavour profile. A madeleine with a cup of Darjeeling is one of the pleasures of a quiet afternoon.
You will need a madeleine tin — a standard 12-shell tin is ideal. If you only have a small one, bake in batches.
Makes: 24 (two bakes of 12) Prep: 15 minutes + 1 hour resting Cook: 11 minutes
Ingredients
- 170g unsalted butter, plus extra softened butter for the tin
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 150g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of fine salt
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Brown the butter with Earl Grey Melt the butter in a small, pale-coloured saucepan over a medium heat. Add the tea bags and let them steep as the butter heats. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns a deep golden amber and smells nutty — about 6–8 minutes from melting. Remove from the heat, discard the tea bags (squeeze them gently to extract the last of the flavour) and strain the brown butter through a fine sieve into a bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature. The butter should have a distinctive Earl Grey fragrance.
2. Make the batter In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla until the mixture is pale and has increased in volume — about 3 minutes with a hand whisk or 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add the lemon zest. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, then fold gently into the egg mixture until just combined. Pour in the cooled brown butter in a thin stream, folding carefully until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
3. Rest the batter Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, ideally overnight. The rest allows the gluten to relax and the baking powder to work more effectively, producing the characteristic hump on the back of the madeleine.
4. Prepare the tin When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Brush the madeleine moulds generously with softened butter and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Refrigerate the prepared tin for 10 minutes while the oven heats — this cold tin helps form the distinctive shell shape.
5. Bake Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are golden, the centre has risen into a dome and a skewer comes out clean. The madeleines should pull away from the edges of the tin slightly when done.
6. Turn out and serve Turn out immediately onto a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm — ideally within ten minutes of coming out of the oven, when the contrast between the crisp exterior and the soft, fragrant interior is at its best.
Notes
- The batter will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to 48 hours. Baking in smaller batches across two days means fresh madeleines each time.
- For a more intense bergamot flavour, add ½ tsp of loose-leaf Earl Grey, very finely ground, directly into the batter.
- These are also excellent dipped, once cooled, in dark chocolate tempered with a little flaked sea salt.
- A standard 12-madeleine tin means you will bake two batches from this recipe. Re-butter and flour the tin between batches.