These madeleines come from Donsuemor Madeleines, but you can make your own with this easy recipe.

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July 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cakes & Pastries

Orange Madeleines Recipe

Made With Orange Liqueur

Madeleines are small buttery cakes with a distinctive shell shape. This French delight is named for Mary Magdalen (the French name for Magdalen is Madeleine). Legend has it that the recipe originated with nuns from a convent once dedicated to her, as nuns traditionally raised money by baking and selling sweets. Many people liken the madeleine to pound cake, although it is actually a sponge cake (génoise). Madeleines are easy to bake, requiring only a special madeleine pan with shell shaped depressions. Here, we present a madeleine recipe flavored with orange liqueur, created by Tony Aiazzi, previously Executive Chef of Aureole restaurant in New York City, and courtesy of Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur.

Should you serve a snifter of Gran Gala with the madeleines? It would make a lovely dessert! You can add some vanilla ice cream, too (or vanilla ice cream made with 1/4 cup Gran Gala). Learn more about madeleines and other types of cakes in our Cake Glossary.

Madeleine Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 nonstick madeleine pans with 12 2-tablespoon molds each
• 1-2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved
  lengthwise
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur
• 1-1/2 tablespoons mild honey
• 1-3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted but cool

Preparation

1. Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray molds with non-stick coating.
2. Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then whisk in zest and set aside.
3. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a separate bowl with tip of a paring knife, reserving pod for another use. Add the sugar into the bowl and mix together until well combined with the vanilla.
4. Whisk in the eggs, orange liqueur, honey and melted butter. Fold into flour mixture until just combined. If you over-mix, the madeleines will come out too tough.
5. Spoon batter into each mold, filling them 3/4 of the way.
6. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, 10-12 minutes, until golden around edges and puffed up in the center.
7. When ready, the batter should pull away from the edges of the pan. Give one a little push, and if it moves free of the pan, they are done.
8. Turn out madeleines onto a tea towel and serve warm.

Recipe courtesy GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur. All other material © Copyright 2005- 2009 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are copyright of their respective owners.