Orange Madeleines

By cookism

The madeleine is a traditional cake blessed unto us cakeheads by patisserie paradise France. These little darlings are both pretty to eat and to look at. Here at Cookism, we simply cannot emphasize enough the sheer joy and wonders of homemade madeleines, these golden brown shells that hold their own on the dining table and in our hearts. Give these madeleines a shot yourself, go on, and let them drive your palates mad.

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 130 g of Caster Sugar
• 200 g of Plain Flour
• 10 g of Baking Powder
• 200 g of Melted Butter
• 20 g of Honey
• 60 ml of Milk
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 tsp of Orange Blossom Water
• Icing Sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Add sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, whisk mixture till pale, creamy and tripled in volume. Takes about 5 to 6 minutes. The batter should form a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
2. Sieve flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add in orange zest and mix well.
3. Add honey into milk and stir till dissolved. Pour in honey-milk mixture into cooled melted butter. Stir well! Stir in butter mixture into the batter by gradually pouring the butter mixture and stirring it with a spatula simultaneously. Make sure they are well combined.
4. Add flour in a few batches. Using a spatula, fold in the flour using big strokes till just combined. Repeat step 6 and 7 for the remaining batches of flour. Do not overmix the batter! Add vanilla bean paste and orange blossom water into the batter. Stir till just combined. Wrap the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. If you are using a silicon mold, it's not required to grease or flour them. For tin molds, brush melted butter and dust the molds with flour. Tap out excess flour and place it in a fridge to set. Using tin molds will give you crisper madeleines.
6. Preheat oven to 190C. When the batter is ready, scoop them into a piping bag. Cut a small opening at the tip. Pipe about 1 tablespoon worth of batter in the middle each shell. Bake for 5 minutes, switch the oven off for 1 minute and turn the oven on again to 160C to bake for another 5 minutes.
7. Unmold and transfer madeleines onto a wire rack to cool. Serve with a dash of icing sugar. Enjoy!.