Quick answer: Madeleines are small French sponge cakes baked in a shell-shaped mold, with a golden, scalloped top and a signature hump. Made from eggs, sugar, butter, and flour, they sit somewhere between a cake and a cookie and are traditionally flavored with lemon or vanilla.
This post is a part of my Madeleine series in tribute to this iconic French pastry and all that it means, from its fascinating history, choosing the right pan, all the secrets of authentic madeleine hump, and storage suggestions, you name it!
Have you ever tried a madeleine? As for me, I fell into the madeleine many years ago, and I still haven't really come out of it. It all started with making classic French madeleines whose recipe was perfected over time.
Then I decided to experiment with flavors of traditional madeleines, and it seemed endless. Raspberry madeleines, lemon poppy seed madeleines, gingerbread madeleines.
What are madeleines?
Madeleines (les madeleines in French) are a type of small sponge cake, originally from Commercy, in Lorraine.
They are baked in a shell-shaped mold and are enjoyed for their light texture and elegant notes of lemon or vanilla bean.
According to the French dictionary Larousse, madeleine is a
Small cake in the shape of a domed shell, made of a batter made from beaten eggs, sugar, flour, melted butter, flavored with lemon or orange blossom.
What does the word madeleine mean?
The word madeleine is simply a French female first name, and the cake is named after a person rather than an ingredient or technique.
The most repeated story credits a young cook named Madeleine Paulmier, who is said to have baked the little shell cakes for a French nobleman in the Lorraine region during the 18th century.
So when people search for the meaning or definition of a madeleine, the answer has two parts: a small, shell-shaped French sponge cake, and a proper name turned into a household word.
Thanks to Marcel Proust, "a madeleine" has also come to mean any small thing that suddenly brings back a flood of memories.
Are madeleines cookies or cakes?
Are they cookies, or cakes? It is a considerable debate! Many people refer to madeleines as madeleine cookies due to their cookie-like form. Some even specify them as teatime cookies.
They are made with flour, sugar, eggs, and butter as their base and baked in their special pan called a madeleine pan, with shell-shaped molds.
But they have cake features too. Like most cakes, they contain simple ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, butter, a leavening agent, and some flavoring.
Due to their firm yet spongy texture, madeleines are very similar to a pound cake.
According to Wikipedia,
The madeleine or petite madeleine is a traditional small cake from Commercy and Liverdun, two communes of the Lorraine region in northeastern France.
All the elements that make up cookies and cakes are happily merged in a madeleine. So, the best description of a madeleine dessert is probably something that crosses between a cookie and a cake.
Still, however you categorize these French creations, elegant madeleines symbolize friendliness, perfect as a snack for children and adults. They go well with a cup of tea or coffee, a fruit salad, or a chocolate mousse.
What is Proust's madeleine?
When we think of the French language, an expression like 'Proust's madeleine' (madeleine de Proust in French) instantly pops into our heads.
This example comes from a rich literary heritage and carries deep meaning.
This well-known expression was first used by French writer Marcel Proust. His famous work, In Search of Lost Time ("À la Recherche du Temps Perdu" in French), consists of seven parts.
The madeleine's expression emerges in Du Côté de chez Swann, the first novel in the series. It evokes the narrator's childhood memories.
The section where Marcel Proust talks about the madeleine is thus linked to his memory.
When he was a kid, his aunt made him madeleines dipped in tea. All the surroundings and emotions he felt as a kid come back to him. They included simple gestures, places, tastes, and even smells...
The taste of a madeleine soaked in tea brought the narrator the forgotten moments of his happy childhood in Combray.
Here is Proust's madeleine passage:
And all of a sudden the memory came to me. This taste was that of the little piece of madeleine that on Sunday mornings at Combray (because that day I didn't go out before mass time), when I went to say hello to him in his room, my Aunt Léonie offered it to me after having dipped it in her infusion of tea or lime blossom. The sight of the little madeleine had reminded me of nothing before I had tasted it; perhaps because, having often seen them since, without eating them, on the shelves of pastry chefs, their image had left those days of Combray to be linked to other more recent ones; perhaps because of these memories abandoned for so long outside memory, nothing survived, everything had disintegrated; the shapes - and also that of the small pastry shell, so richly sensual, under its severe and devout pleating - had been abolished, or, drowsy, had lost the force of expansion which would have allowed them to rejoin consciousness. But, when from an ancient past nothing remains, after the death of beings, after the destruction of things, alone, more frail but more lively, more immaterial, more persistent, more faithful, the smell and the flavor remain for a long time yet. , like souls, to remember, to wait, to hope, on the ruin of all the rest, to carry without flinching, on their almost impalpable droplet, the immense edifice of memory.
Marcel Proust
So, what is a madeleine of Proust? According to Linternaute.com, Proust's madeleine is a
Feeling of nostalgia caused by a smell, a color or a place.
What stands out is that it is a kind of memory that comes back to you in a completely random way.
In other words, Proust's madeleine means an unexpected memory filled with nostalgia. It can include smells, tastes, sounds, or other sensations.
You can say that something is your Proust's madeleine if it brings you back, as the smell of madeleines did with Mr. Proust.
The Proust phenomenon is a myth of childhood. It is a unique feeling of nostalgia that revives unforgettable memories tied to your own story.
For example, you might say you drink hot chocolate when you're sad. It is your Proustian madeleine; it makes you feel better.
So, what is your Proust's madeleine? A special kids' snack, or tea with your grandparents?
And it is completely fine that your Proust madeleine is something quite different from a madeleine.
Over time, this expression became so popular that neuroscientists have tried to explain unconscious memory scientifically.
Philosophers have also linked Proust with prominent thinkers on time and memory.
What do madeleines taste like?
A madeleine tastes like a crumbly, moist sponge-cake-cum-biscuit for some people. Sweet and simple. They try it and forget.
Many people (like me) will forever fall in love and give them a special place among other pastries that make their lives a little bit sweeter.
For a few, tasting the madeleine may come as a jaw-dropper that something so simple and plain could activate such a copious gush of memories that would serve seven long and ponderous volumes (Proust's case).
How do you eat madeleines?
Madeleines are best eaten fresh, ideally within a few hours of baking, while the edges are still crisp and the crumb is soft. In France, they are a classic teatime treat, served plain with coffee, tea, or a tisane, and often dipped into the hot drink, as Marcel Proust famously described.
You can also dust them with powdered sugar, dip one end in melted chocolate, or fill them with jam or lemon curd for a fancier touch. Because they stale quickly, bake only as many as you plan to enjoy that day, or freeze the batter and bake fresh when a craving strikes.
Where to eat the best madeleines in the world
There is no place like Paris when it comes to finding the perfect madeleine.
If you're looking for a unique treat in the area, look no further than Fabrice Le Bourdat's Ble Sucré, which serves some of the best madeleines in Paris.
These light madeleines are covered with an elegant lemon glaze that will have your mouth watering from just one bite.
Another place is Fauchon, a French delicatessen that has been around since 1886. They don't just make madeleines... Their original store is situated on Place de la Madeleine.
Gilles Marchal's madeleines, inspired by a chef's Lorraine memories, are pillowy and truly rich. As per customers, "once you take a bite of their perfect Madeleines, you won't be able to have 'just one.'
For Mr. Marchal, madeleines are the emblem of his pastry. Even the shop's front door handles have a touch of that delicacy.
It is also whispered that the perfect madeleines are those of Philippe Contichini in his La pâtisserie des rêves, in Paris.
Also, don't skip La Grande Épicerie de Paris, Un Dimanche à Paris, Au Fond du Jardin in Strasbourg, France, La Fameuse Madeleine de Proust in Saint-Avit-les-Guespières, and Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki for matcha green tea madeleines.
Finally, madeleine makers (aka madeleiniers) of Saint-Yrieix-La-Perche brought the madeleines to the top of regional delicacies. Their sweet treats are made with apple, chestnut flour, and unique black pudding. Only there will you find madeleines called Bijou, Boule d'Or, or Bébé madeleines...
When in Commercy, capital of the famous madeleines, try classic and different variations of madeleines, including the ones with mirabelle plum.
And finally, you can make the world's best madeleines at home: here is the authentic madeleine recipe. You may fall in love with a madeleine, and if Proust is right, you will be unlikely to forget it.
FAQ
What does a madeleine taste like?
A madeleine tastes like a light, buttery sponge cake with tender, slightly crisp edges. The classic flavor is delicate vanilla and lemon, though modern versions add chocolate, honey, or other twists.
How do you say madeleine?
In French, it is pronounced roughly "mad-LEN" (mad-uh-len), with a soft ending. In English you will also hear "mad-uh-linn." The little cakes take their name from the French female first name Madeleine.
Are madeleines a cookie or a cake?
Technically, they are small sponge cakes, not cookies. Their size and shell shape make them look like cookies, which is why they are often sold and served alongside them.
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