Orange, almond and cardamom madeleines recipe
Madeleines are quick to make and small enough to enjoy after a big meal. If you're able to have them straight from the oven, they really are spectacular. Here, the cakes are combined with orange zest and cardamom for a lovely, gently spiced flavour, which works a treat. These make great gifts, if you can bring yourself to give them away.
This recipe makes 12–14 madeleines.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 85 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp clear honey
- 4 cardamom pods, seeds only, ground finely using a pestle and mortar
- 2 unwaxed oranges, finely grated zest only
- 90 g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 90 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner's sugar), for dusting (optional)
Details
- Cuisine: Persian
- Recipe Type: Cake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 7
Step-by-step
- Put the eggs and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat together until pale and creamy.
- Add the honey, ground cardamom and orange zest, and mix well.
- Incorporate the melted butter, followed by the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder. Mix until evenly combined, then stir in the milk.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight, if you wish).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F/gas mark 6.
- Melt a little butter and, using a pastry brush, brush the recesses of a madeleine mould generously with it, then dust with a little flour, shaking off any excess.
- Transfer 1 tablespoon (not too heaped) of the batter into each of the mould’s recesses.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until nicely golden brown.
- Once cool enough to touch, remove from the moulds. Repeat with any remaining batter.
- Dust the madeleines with a little icing sugar, if desired, and serve immediately.
This recipe is from Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour. Published by Mitchell Beazley, £26. Photography by Kris Kirkham.
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