Rosebud Madeleines
“These madeleines, or French butter cakes, are a classic tea-time treat, and are made using a génoise-style batter flavoured with rosewater. They have a delicate flavour which isn’t too sweet, and are the perfect accompaniment to after-dinner coffee. They are very easy to make and use relatively basic ingredients – the only exotic additions are the flavourings you may choose to add.
I happened to have rosewater in my cupboard which was a gift from someone, but you can usually find it at good deli’s or health food shops. They make a great gift at this time of year because they keep very well and can be taken out of the cupboard for impromptu social gatherings or a sweet snack after a family meal (this recipe makes 12).
Ingredients
50g unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing
1 large egg
40g caster sugar
45g plain flour, preferably Italian 00 (I used cake flour but try delicatessens like Giovanni’s in Cape Town for doppio zero flour)
1 tablespoon rosewater
icing sugar for dusting
pinch of salt
Method
Melt all the butter over a low heat, then leave to cool.
Beat the egg, caster sugar and salt in a bowl for about 5 minutes, preferably with an electric mixer of some sort, until it’s as thick as mayonnaise. [My mixture never reached this particular consistency but that didn’t seem to affect the final product. If I was you I would aim for mousse-like, so that the beaters leave a trail in the batter when lifted].
Then sieve the flour into the egg and sugar mixture then fold it in with a wooden spoon.
Set aside a scant tablespoon of the cold, melted butter for greasing the tins and fold in the rest along with the rosewater. Mix well, but not too vigorously.
Leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour, then take out and leave at room temperature for half an hour. [I’ve read some variations of this recipe which skipped this step but I have an original recipe written by a lady in France who gave it to my mother and she also puts it in the fridge so I think it’s important. Also, it firms up the batter which is useful when it comes to filling the moulds]
Preheat the oven to 220ºC. [My oven is very hot and even on thermofan at 200ºC they came out darker than they should do so keep an eye on them as they bake].
Generously brush the insides of the madeleine tins with the tablespoon of butter (melting more if you feel you need it) before filling them with the cake mixture). About 1 teaspoonful in each should do: don’t worry about covering the moulded indentations; in the heat of the oven the mixture will spread before it rises.
Bake for 5 minutes, though check after 3. [This is important; as I mentioned mine were more golden than I would have liked – they should be pale all over – so if you see them going brown around the edges start thinking about taking them out of the oven].
Turn out and let cool on a rack, then dust with icing sugar.
This is effectively a sort of vanilla cupcake, so feel free to invent your own flavour combinations using ingredients like ground pistachios, lemon or orange zest, chocolate or coconut. For gifting, wrap them in tissue paper and pop them in an airtight container (try MerryPak or Plastics for Africa) wrapped in a festive ribbon… et voilà!”
Here’s a printable version of the recipe and the to make them Julia used (as pictured) a Madeleine pan, KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, Le Creuset Spatula, Le Creuset Basting Brush, Measuring Spoon and Sieve.
Bon voyage, madeleine makers.