Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines Recipe

Quick Summary: Lemon poppy seed madeleines are a delicious twist on traditional French madeleines and a classic combination of flavors and textures. Truly, nothing will ever beat this timeless madeleine recipe, perfect for making every day and on holidays.

What are lemon poppy seed madeleines?

Lemon poppy seed madeleines are a citrus twist on the classic French madeleines, a small, shell-shaped sponge cake with a signature hump. Fresh lemon zest brightens the buttery batter, while poppy seeds add a subtle crunch and their characteristic speckled look.

The result is a light, tender tea cake with a fresh lemon aroma, often finished with a lemon glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar.

And if you love the lemon flavor, check out the recipes for Lemon Curd Cake, Triple Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf, French Lemon Tart, or Lemon Poppy Seed Bars.

What tools do you need to make madeleines?

The one essential tool is a madeleine mold, which gives these little cakes their signature shell shape. A silicone mold needs no greasing and releases the madeleines easily by pushing each cavity from the bottom.

A metal mold should be brushed with softened butter, dusted with flour, and tapped to remove the excess before each batch.

If you do not have a madeleine pan, you can bake the batter in a mini or regular muffin tin instead (see my recipe for madeleines in a muffin mold). The madeleines will lose their shell shape but keep the same soft, lemony crumb.

Beyond the mold, you only need mixing bowls, a whisk or electric mixer, a fine grater for the lemon zest, and a piping bag or small scoop for filling the cavities.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Large eggs at room temperature.
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter, melted and cooled to 122-140°F (50-60°C). Opt for top-quality butter with 82% fat.
• All-purpose flour: Avoid substituting with cake flour or self-raising flour, as in Gordon Ramsay's madeleine recipe. This recipe specifically calls for baking powder and omits cornstarch.
• Golden syrup: You can replace it with glucose syrup or acacia honey.
• Baking powder helps develop the light texture and hump of the madeleines.
• Lemon zest
• Poppy seeds: Use black or blue poppy seeds.
• Salt: Use fleur de sel if available.

How to make lemon poppy madeleines

Step 1: Melt butter in the microwave in 20-second increments, then let it cool to 122°F (50°C). 

Step 2: Place eggs, sugar, and golden syrup in a mixing bowl and beat with a hand whisk for about 1 minute. Add fresh lemon zest and poppy seeds to the egg mixture and mix. 

Step 3: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture to the principal preparation and mix with a hand whisk. Pour the melted butter in two to three additions, mixing each time to combine.

Step 4: Cover the batter with plastic wrap in contact, and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 24 hours. 

Step 5: The next day, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and let it heat for another 15 minutes.

Step 6: Using a pastry brush and softened butter, butter the cavities of a metal madeleine mold, dust it with flour, and tap any excess; don't grease a silicone mold (see my guide on baking with silicone molds).

Step 7: Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and fill the cavities of the madeleine tin to ¾ full.

Step 8: Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 3 minutes. Then, switch off the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. The madeleines will develop their bump on top. Then, turn the oven to 320°F (160°C) for 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Step 9: Remove madeleines from the oven and cool in the mold for a couple of minutes. While hot, take them out individually and place them on the side in the mold (not on a wire rack) to cool.

Expert Tips

1. For helpful tips and tricks, consult the French madeleine recipe. Also, download a free troubleshooting guide.
2. Chill the batter to get a pretty bump on top of the madeleines: don't skip this step.

Recipe variations

• Replace lemon zest with orange, mandarin, lime, or grapefruit.
• Use orange blossom honey gathered from the orange groves.
• Replace half of the poppy seeds with sesame seeds for a little crunch.
• Glaze lemon poppy seed madeleines with lemon glaze or fill them with homemade or store-bought lemon curd.
• Make mini madeleines (les petites madeleines in French), but adjust the baking regimen accordingly. It takes time to get to know your oven.

How to make the lemon glaze

For a bright, tangy finish, whisk together about 1 cup (120 g) of powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar to thicken it or a few drops of lemon juice to loosen it.

Once the madeleines have cooled, dip the shell side into the glaze or drizzle it over the top, then let it set for a few minutes before serving.

For a different finish, you can skip the glaze and simply dust the madeleines with powdered sugar, or fill them with homemade or store-bought lemon curd.

Storing & freezing

Store madeleines in an airtight container for up to 2 to 4 days. Read more about how to store madeleines.

To freeze, place cooled madeleines in a single layer in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring the cakes to the counter at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours to thaw.

Recipe FAQ

Is this a Gordon Ramsay madeleine recipe?
This lemon poppy seed version is inspired by the classic French method rather than being Gordon Ramsay's exact recipe. Like his popular approach, it uses a simple hand-whisked batter with golden syrup for moisture, then chills before baking to get the signature hump.

Can you make madeleines without a mold?
Yes. If you do not have a madeleine pan, you can bake the batter in a mini-muffin or muffin tin. You lose the shell shape but keep the flavor and soft crumb. See my guide on how to make madeleines without a madeleine mold.

How long should you whip the eggs and sugar for madeleine batter?
Beat the eggs and sugar together for about 1 minute using a hand whisk. You do not need to whisk for 5 minutes or more to reach a whitish, doubled-in-volume mixture.

Is madeleine batter supposed to be thick?
Yes. The batter should be thick enough, similar to the consistency of yogurt cake batter, and silky-looking. Chilling it further firms it up before baking.

How do you keep madeleines from sticking?
Prepare the mold well. A silicone mold needs no greasing, but a metal mold should be brushed with softened butter, dusted with flour, and tapped to remove the excess.

Why don't my madeleines get a hump?
The hump forms from the temperature shock between a well-chilled batter and a hot oven. Chill the batter, ideally overnight, and start baking at a high temperature so the centers rise into the classic bump.

Love madeleines? Try these next

• Raspberry madeleines
• Gingerbread madeleines
• Or read about all the things madeleines

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Print

Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on October 25, 2021. It has been revised to include improved content and photos.