Madeleines
Small lemon-butter cakes with a hump — a tin helps, a rest in the fridge helps more.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 27 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Madeleines are baked in a shell tin until they grow a hump. The batter is butter, egg, sugar, flour, lemon. It wants a rest. If you do not own the tin, a mini-muffin pan still makes a cake, just not the photograph.
What you'll need
6 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Beat eggs and sugar until pale. Fold in flour, salt, zest, then butter. Chill 1 hour.
10 min
Step 2
Butter and flour a madeleine tin. Heat the oven to 210°C. Fill the shells two-thirds. Bake 8–11 minutes until the humps set and the edges brown.
12 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 136 kcal
- Protein
- 2.1 g
- Carbs
- 14.7 g
- Fat
- 7.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.5 g
- Fibre
- 0.3 g
- Sugar
- 7.7 g
- Sodium
- 44 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vegetarian
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Lemon → Orange zest
A different perfume.
Tips
- A hot tin plus cold batter is the usual hump trick.
- Eat the same day. They stale like a madeleine.
History & culture
Commercy's pride and Proust's prop. Also a Tuesday cake that takes 20 minutes of work.
An 18th–19th-century Lorraine cake. The literary afterlife is larger than the recipe.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Madeleines take?
1 hr 27 min all in — 15 min prep, 12 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 12 cakes. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 pinch.
How much sugar?
90 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Lemon → Orange zest. A different perfume.
Any tips from this recipe?
A hot tin plus cold batter is the usual hump trick. Eat the same day. They stale like a madeleine.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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