In contrast to the much-cited scene in Proust´s novel when the taste of a madeleine elicits the fondest childhood memories, my own first encounter with the little French tea cakes was not quite as overwhelming: When I was a kid, the supermarket version of madeleines used to help us out as an easy snack on the beach during our holidays in France, or when there was nothing else on hand for breakfast. I remember I could hardly wait to taste these fascinating shell shaped treats what were new to me at the time; but more than anything I recall my disappointment about that somewhat artificial lemony taste and chewy texture. And that mysterious bump on their backs suddenly didn´t seem appealing either. Non, merci!
Meanwhile I have come to appreciate a delicate home made madeleine. Of all the versions out there, I stick to a very old school recipe with a little bit of lemon zest and maybe a little rose or orange blossom water. It´s just timeless and classic.
Yesterday I made a batch to take to my little son´s gym class where it was time to say goodbye. We´re going to leave for Paris in less than a fortnight, so it´s farewell season for us these days. My son loved the gym, and especially his teacher Daniela. That´s why it would really make me happy if he remembered a bit of the fun he had there, as well as of all the good times spent in Bavaria during the first years of his life. But he and his sister are still very young, and I´m afraid they will have forgotten almost everything in no time.
So at the back of my mind, there was something else, a secret hope the madeleine charm will work for them in a Proustian way: that one day when they have another one of these little cakes, out of nowhere, there will be places, faces , scenes and scents, unknown but strangely familiar, taking them back to „the lost time“.
Tacky, I know. But one can always hope!
Madeleines
3 eggs
125 g butter melted & room temperature
150 g flour
150 g sugar
zest of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon rosewater or orange blossom water, optional
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Melt butter at low heat and set aside to cool. Butter baking moulds and place in the refrigerator.
Whisk eggs, salt & sugar at high speed for about 5 minutes until bright yellow and fluffy.
Combine flour and baking powder. Sift mixture into egg mixture in small batches, gently folding in with a spatula or whisking at lowest speed.
Add lemon zest (and rose water/orange blossom water, if using) and melted butter to the batter and fold in gently. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fill moulds to 2/3 with the batter and bake until slightly golden, about 8-12 min depending on madeleine size. My small moulds take 8-9 min.
Tips how to get a nice bump:
Moulds and batter must be really cool before baking. If baking in batches, refrigerate remaining batter and cool the moulds after each baking session by freezing them for a couple of minutes.
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Im Unterschied zu der vielzitierten Szene aus Prousts Roman Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Zeit, als der Geschmack einer Madeleine eine Welle romantischer Kindheitserinnerungen auszulösen vermag, verlief meine erste Begegnung mit diesem Gebäck ein wenig profaner: Ich lernte als Kind die plastikverpackte Supermarktversion kennen, die uns im Frankreichurlaub als kleiner Snack am Strand diente, oder als Frühstückchen, wenn gerade nichts anderes verfügbar war. Ich weiß noch, wie ich es kaum erwarten konnte, das erste dieser verlockend anders aussehenden Küchlein zu probieren; doch vor allem erinnere ich mich, wie enttäuscht ich war von dem künstlichen Zitronenaroma und der zähen Konsistenz. Da verlor auch der eigenartige Höcker auf der Oberseite seine Faszination. Non, merci!
Inzwischen aber weiß ich Madeleines sehr zu schätzen. Ich bleibe, trotz aller Versionenvielfalt, die es mittlerweile gibt, einem ganz altmodischen Rezept treu, mit geriebener Zitronenschale und vielleicht etwas Orangenblüten- oder Rosenwasser. Never change a winning team.
Gestern habe ich mal wieder eine Ladung Madeleines gebacken, nicht ganz ohne Hintergedanken. Einerseits haben wir uns damit in der Turnstunde meines Sohnes verabschiedet, denn der Umzug nach Paris steht in wenigen Tagen bevor (wir werden Dich vermissen, liebe Daniela!). Andererseits baue ich insgeheim darauf, daß sich der Madeleinezauber – wenn schon nicht bei mir – bei meinen Kindern, entfaltet. Denn sie sind noch sehr klein und werden sonst sicher bald alles vergessen haben, was sich in ihrem kurzen bayrischen Leben zugetragen hat.
Vielleicht also beißen sie ja irgendwann wieder in eine Madeleine hinein und werden, ganz wie im Roman, von einer Welle von Erinnerungen erfaßt, von denen sie gar nicht wußten, daß sie in ihnen schlummern. Und dann kehrt einen Moment lang etwas von dieser „verlorenen Zeit“ zurück.
Ja, kitschig. Aber man kann ja hoffen.
Madeleines
3 Eier
125 g zerlassene, abgekühlte Butter
150 g Mehl
150 g Zucker
Zesten einer halben Zitrone
1 EL Rosenwasser oder Orangenblütenwasser, optional
1 Prise Salz
1 TL Backpulver
Butter bei geringer Hitze zerlassen und etwas abkühlen lassen. Madeleineförmchen fetten und kalt stellen.
Eier mit Zucker und Salz 5 Minuten lang kräftig aufschlagen.
Mehl mit Backpulver vermischen und portionsweise in die Eiermasse sieben, vorsichtig unterheben oder bei geringster Stufe mit dem Rührgerät einrühren.
Zitronenschale und ggf. Rosen-/Orangenblütenwasser sowie zerlassene Butter unterziehen. Teig für mindestens 1 Stunde in den Kühlschrank stellen.
Ofen auf 180°C vorheizen. Förmchen zu 2/3 mit Teig befüllen und je nach Größe etwa 8-12 Minuten backen (bis der Rand Rand leicht gebräunt ist). Ich backe sehr kleine Madeleines, die 8-9 Minuten brauchen.
Tips zum Backen:
Damit die Madeleines den typischen „Höcker“ ausbilden, müssen Teig und Förmchen schön kühl sein, wenn sie in den Ofen kommen. Deswegen nach jedem Backdurchgang den restlichen Teig wieder in den Kühlschrank stellen und auch die Förmchen zwischendurch abkühlen lassen (ein paar Minuten im Gefrierfach reichen).
Thank you, Sabine for sharing your tips. My madeleine tin is getting rusty; I’ve not made any for so long. Now I must try again and keep the batter and tin cool.
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I have silicone moulds, but baking them in a real tin is so much more fitting for this nostalgic little cake! I hope you´ll be happy with your madeleines next time!! Thank you very much for your nice words, Sabine.
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Not tacky. Sweet.
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And that´s sweet of YOU, Michelle. I never knew how sentimental I was before the kiddies were there! But maybe it´s just narcissistic mortification in disguise – because they won´t have clue about this first period of their lives while for me it was most impressive and life changing …whatever!
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I really like madeleines because they’re more of a cake than a cookie and are so quick to make. I life to add a little lemon or orange and rosemary for a hint of savory. So good!
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Yes, Amanda, your flavoring sounds amazing. I can imagine rosemary to add a little bit of extra special aroma, wonderful!
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Real Madelaines, what a treat! Uh, I had a similar experience as a teen with being so excited to taste these magical things for the first time (school exchange) and being thoroughly disappointed after a supermarket concoction. Luckily the Mamie made the real thing for Valentine’s Day… Thanks sooo much for reminding me, I have not made them in ages. N xx
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Please do! The process of making madeleines is always enchanting, must be the orange blossom water…. 😉
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Totally, I just used it in another cake and can’t wait until its ready, another 45 minutes to go…. N.
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bon appétit!
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I love madeleines! And I really like how you set up the table…. perfect for a “parisiann” atmosphere!
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Margherita, thanks so much for leaving a note. The Parisian atmosphere is really what I was hoping to create… and what I´m anticipating. So glad the little scene spoke to you in that sense… HAve a lovely weekend, Sabine
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Aren’t they one of the best treats ever? I love to eat them in the morning with a good cup of coffee! Lovely pics, Sabine! Yum!
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Me too, I also love them for breakfast! Thanks for stopping by, dear Francesca, and have a wonderful weekend!
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These madeleines look delicious . I have never made them and it is time I try them. Good luck with your move to Paris. Are you excited ? I hope you continue with your blog once you moved . Your blog is wonderful I love to read the recipes in German and English. Thank you, you are doing such a good job.
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Oh yes, I am exited now! I have been calm all the time, but now the goodbyes are being said on various occasions, I suddenly seem to realize what´s going on.
I definitely plan to continue the blog once in Paris, I hope I´ll be surrounded by culinary excitement and will make lots of new discoveries there, culinary ones, and others…
right now I´m having a cup of coffee and read your lovely note – your words already made my day, dear Gerlinde. I am so grateful you enjoy the site, you can´t imagine…danke.
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I LOVE Madeleines !!! YUM YUM 🙂
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So glad to hear that! HAve a wonderful day!
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J’aime beaucoup les madeleines françaises. En Espagne, elles sont très différents, ils ressemblent plutôt à des muffins ! Mais je préfère la délicatesse de la petite madeleine française !
J’en suis sûre qu’au fond d’eux, tes enfants garderont quelques souvenirs de la Bavière !
Je te souhaite un bon déménagement en France ! Maintenant on est presqu’è des voisines 😉
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C´est si gentille, chère Eva. Tu as raison, dans quelques jours on est des voisines. Le Bordelais n´est pas loin de la capitale, et je suis sûre que je vais visiter ta région très bientôt…. on se verra 😉
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Your food and photos look beautiful 🙂 so many pretty props!
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Thank you, glad you like it “here”! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
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What a high pile of delicious-looking madeleines you have there! I still have not owned a madeleine mould, so I’ll have to satisfy my craving with your photos!
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Good morning Jasline, these moulds are well worth the purchase, making madeleines is a special thing to do. So nostalgic!
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These are beautiful! And I love the addition of lemon. Tres magnifique! 😉
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Thank you! Sweet little bites à la francaise!
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so beautiful! I adore madeleines – I made some cinnamon-flavoured ones on the weekend. Your photos are so chic.
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Sounds delicious!
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Pretty peonies. The madeleines look great, and from personal experience I know they are not that easy to make.
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Thank you, and I agree, these ladies can be a little opinionated and delicate!
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Great post!👏love them😍😍😍think I will try to make them😉😉☕️☕️☕️
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Thank you, I would love you to. Thanks for stopping by!
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Absolute perfection! You have inspired me to make some myself! 🙂
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That´s wonderful to hear, Josette! I love so much making such old fashioned treats!
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