Golden Chai Madeleines
Golden chai madeleines are lightly spiced mini sponge cakes that taste like a cozy Fall afternoon. We’re going to dip some of these lovely cakes into a simple glaze for an added touch of sweetness too!
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Pumpkin Spice Mandolins
My husband, goofball that he is, likes to call madeleines mandolins. No reason why, but it makes our son giggle like a fiend! Anywho, I made these golden chai madeleines for a work party in August.
It wasn’t quite Fall yet (we’ve been dealing with triple digit temperatures for months), but one bite of one of these madeleines and I felt like we were knee deep in colorful leaves. The combination of chai and turmeric gave the madeleines an orange hue and they tasted like pumpkin spice!
Golden Chai Madeleines
I was totally winging this recipe, but I figured it would be a hard one to really mess up. The biggest concern was how much turmeric and chai to add. I wanted a full bodied flavor, but I didn’t want it to be overpowering and unpleasant.
Luckily, turmeric is a flavorful spice, but a relatively mellow one. I used a half teaspoon and that was just enough to add its mellow earthy vibe and distinctive color. I used a chai spice blend from King Arthur Baking and a full teaspoon did the job. If you don’t have a chai blend, create your own with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, anise, and black pepper.
Piping the Batter
With all of my other madeleine recipes, I have used a tablespoon to portion out the madeleine batter. But I’ve been asked multiple times about piping the batter into the pan. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I gave it a try.
Since I needed these golden chai madeleines for a party, I didn’t want to risk ruining the whole batch, so I only piped the center columns of my pan. I used a 2A piping tip and that was just too large, in my opinion.
All in all, piping the batter worked! I have a bad habit of overfilling my pans though. Next time, I’ll use a smaller piping tip and make sure to pipe a little less batter into each cavity.
Donut Glaze on a Madeleine?
Madeleines are typically served plain or dusted with powdered sugar. These are both fine options, but I’m extra. I topped my lemon madeleines with a drizzle of lemon chocolate and sprinkles! But I wanted to try something different for this batch.
Chai makes me think of a latte and when you dip a madeleine into a latte, it’s going to get a little glaze of milk on it. That inspired me to whip up a simple glaze to dip these madeleines in! The consistency should be thin, but thick enough to cling to the little sponge cakes.
Related Reading: Turmeric Latte Macarons
Glaze Troubleshooting
Test the glaze by dipping a madeleine and letting it sit for a few minutes. If it has that glazed donut look, you’re good to go. A too thin glaze will just look a bit soggy, so add more powdered sugar to the glaze and test again.
A glaze that is too thick may be gloopy or look thick and opaque. Add a few drops of water to your glaze and test again. A little bit of water goes a long way! The glaze was a bit too thin when I dipped the madeleines in this photo, but after a bit more powdered sugar, the glaze was the perfect consistency.
Bake Time & Temperature
I used to bake my madeleines at 350℉ and they were perfect! But since we moved, they were flat. Tasty, but lacking that hump. So I experimented with 375℉. That worked, but the humps were too high and the madeleines got a little dark. Again, totally acceptable, but shy of perfection.
A happy medium for my oven is starting at 375℉, then dropping the temp down to 350℉. If your madeleines aren’t perfect and you feel it is the baking time and temperature, I encourage you to play around with these variables.
Enjoy!
Golden chai madeleines are one of my new favorite Fall treats. They are loaded with the cozy flavor of spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom and taste just like pumpkin spice. I hope you get to enjoy your own batch of these mini sponge cakes soon!
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Golden Chai Madeleines
Ingredients
Golden Chai Madeleines
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 oz sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 oz unsalted butter + 1-2 Tbsps for greasing
- 4.5 oz all purpose flour
- 1 tsp chai spice blend
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Glaze
- 2- 3 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 2- 3 tsps water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Golden Chai Madeleines
- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip on a medium- high speed. Whip until you hit the ribbon stage. The mixture should be pale, thick, and fall like ribbons before sinking into the rest of the mixture. This should take about 7 minutes. When the eggs are done, add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter while the eggs whip. Set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, chai, turmeric, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- When the egg mixture is done, add half of the dry mixture. Gently fold until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until just combined.
- Add the melted butter and fold until the mixture is just combined. It should be thick and glossy. Cover the bowl and chill for at least several hours, or even overnight.
- About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter and brush your pan with it. Add a heaping tablespoon (or pipe a shallow layer) of batter to each cavity. Place the remaining batter in the fridge.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 375℉, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 5- 7 minutes. The madeleines should be set and when you gently poke one, it should not leave an indent. Let them cool for a minute or two before removing them from the pan. They will be golden brown. Place the madeleines on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the pan has cooled, you can grease a few madeleine cavities and bake the remaining batter just as we did in the previous step. You will not need to grease the entire pan, just enough for any remaining batter.
Glaze
- To make the glaze, add 2 oz of powdered sugar, 2 tsps of water, and the vanilla to a small bowl. Mix until combined. Add more powdered sugar if it is too thin, and add a little bit of water if it is too thick.
- Dip cooled madeleines into the glaze, then set them aside on wax paper or a cooling rack to let the glaze dry.
Notes
- I usually get 18- 20 madeleines, depending on how I portion the batter.
- The calorie count does not include the glaze.
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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