Honey and orange blossom madeleines

There is no magic to madeleines, they are eminently doable. Just be careful with oven temperatures and cooking times – they can go dark very quickly. Make sure to eat them on the day they are made – they don’t keep well.

Requires overnight chilling. 

Overview

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Serves

Makes 24

Ingredients

• 100g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing the tin

• 100g self-raising flour, plus extra for the tin

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 40g golden caster sugar

• 100g raw orange blossom honey

• 1 tsp orange blossom water

• icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method

Step 1

Heavily butter and flour a 12-hole madeleine tin – or 2 x 6-hole tins – and put it in the fridge.

Step 2

Whisk 2 large eggs, 40g golden caster sugar and 100g raw orange blossom honey together with electric beaters, or in a food mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, until doubled in volume, thick, pale and fluffy 
– about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Gradually drizzle in 100g melted and cooled butter, whisking continuously, as though making mayonnaise. Then whisk in 1 tsp orange blossom water. Don’t worry about this step as the mix is far more stable by now and won’t split, but you want to be making something thick and emulsified.

Step 4

Sift in 100g self-raising flour and add a pinch of salt. (You do need to sift the flour because you’re after a feather-light texture, so don’t skip this.) Fold in very gently to retain the air in the batter, but do not overwork. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 200C/190C fan/gas mark 5. Evenly spoon half the mixture between the madeleine-tin holes and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until puffed up and golden.

Step 6

Turn out and transfer to a wire rack, then cook a second batch. Dust with icing sugar, if you like, and serve warm.