Madeleine

Madeleine Baking Pan

MADELEINE

FRANCE

18TH CENTURY

OTHER NAMES: petite madeleine

Madeleines are French tea cake with a distinctive shell-like shape, with pale stipes on the one side and a typical "bump" on the other. They are thick in size, but light, soft, and smooth in texture similar to a sponge cake. It has a buttery flavor but some traditional recipes also include fine nuts, lemon zest, etc. Here is a recipe and tips about making Madeleine.

The origin of Madeleine is linked with the town of Commercy (in the Lorraine region in eastern France), where a large number of commercial madeleines are produced today. [1]

In the 19th century Jean Avice, who worked as a pastry chef for Prince Talleyrand, said to have invented the Madeleine by baking little cakes in aspic molds. However in Lorraine, it is believed that Madeleine cookie came from a young maid named Madeleine Paulmier, who used to work for the Duke of Lorraine, Stanislas Leczinski in the late 18th century. [2] This cookie recipe, originally inherited from Madeleine’s grandmother, was recognized by Louis XV of France, who first tasted them at the Chateau Commercy in Lorraine in 1755. Louis' wife, Marie introduced them to the court and they soon became all the rage at Versailles. [3]

In the mid-20th century the cookie became famous through Marcel Proust’s  1923 autobiographical novel, “À la recherche du temps perdu” ('Remembrance of Things Past') [4] Eventually Madeleines were chosen to represent France in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006. [5]

Today Madeleine is a popular tea cake for café shops around the world. It is common to customize recipe like dipping in melted chocolate, dusted icing sugar, etc.

BASIC INGREDIENTS:

eggs, plain flour, butter and sugar

Optional:Nuts, lemon zest, chocolate, citrus juice, dusted icing sugar

Madeleine dusted with icing sugar

Donsuemor

Traditional Madeleines - 28 Individually Wrapped

Chicago Metallic

Professional 12-Cup Non-Stick Madeleine Pan, 15.75-Inch-by-7.75-Inch