How to make and bake the French Lorraine classic madeleines in just dix étapes très faciles (ten very easy steps)!

A slightly different approach by le chef Pierre-Dominique of Larousse Cuisine (that’s right, the same as the famous French dictionary)

► CE DONT VOUS AUREZ BESOIN (What you will need):

• Two cups of farine (flour)
• Six separated œufs (eggs)
• Twenty cuillères à soupe (tablespoons) of melted and cooled butter (you’ll need a bit more for greasing)
• One cuillère à soupe (tablespoon) of baking powder
• One petite cuillère (teaspoon) of salt
• Two teaspoons of extrait de vanille (vanilla extract)
• Un zest of two lemons
• One and a half cups of sucre (sugar)

► VOILÀ COMMENT PROCÉDER (This is how to proceed):

1. Heat le four (the oven) to 325°

2. Grease and flour eight mini loaf casseroles (pans)

3. Fouettez (whisk) all together the baking powder, the flour, and the salt in a medium-size bowl

4. Beat the sugar, the zest, the extrait de vanille, and egg yolks in a larger bowl than the one you used in step 3. Stop when the color turns pale enough and the whole thing becomes at least three-times larger

5. Add the butter and flour mixture, and gently fold into batter until it combines

6. Put the egg whites in a bowl and beat on medium speed of a hand mixer until you get stiff peaks

7. Add a third of beaten egg whites to the batter and stir till it becomes more smooth

8. Add the remaining whites and fold in doucement (gently) until it combines

9. Make sure you share batter equally between the pans, and bake them for about 40 minutes till you get a deep golden brown color

10. Don’t be impatient: Let it cool for cinq minutes. Then, to cool completely, invert the cakes into a wire rack.

Bon appêtit, les amis!

By the way, remember this “other Madeleine“? 🙂