Vanilla Bean Madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia
Vanilla bean madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia are an ethereal combination of flavors and texture. The soft sponge cake has a beautifully crisped shell shaped side and a soft hump on the other. Fiori di Sicilia brings the perfect blend of vanilla and orange to the recipe without any grating or juicing.
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French Madeleines
Madeleines are a traditional French sponge cake, though they are frequently confused as cookies due to their small size. They are characterized by a delicate shell pattern on the front and a hump on the back.
My recipe for vanilla bean madeleines is not 100% authentic, but the differences are slight. Normally, these little cakes are flavored with fresh lemon zest. I decided to keep with the citrus theme, but I used Fiori di Sicilia instead.
What is Fiori di Sicilia?
I got a King Arthur Baking gift card for Christmas, but it took me forever to get around to using it. Once I decided to get new baking goodies, I discovered Fiori di Sicilia. It is described as a combination of orange and vanilla, which sounded good enough for me!
When I opened the bottle to make these vanilla bean madeleines, the smell was strong and so delicious. It’s a bright, but smooth orange flavor that pairs perfectly with the delicate sponge cake and vanilla bean paste. You can also find Fiori di Sicilia on Amazon if that’s a better fit for you.
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Vanilla Bean Madeleines
I’ve wanted to make madeleines forever. Okay, maybe just for a year or so. They didn’t seem too simple, but they didn’t look overly complicated either. Truly, the biggest setback was buying a madeleine pan. (Thank you gift card!)
To make madeleines, you’ll whip up your eggs and sugar, and then gently fold in your sifted dry ingredients. Once that is done, fold in your melted butter, chill, then bake! All in all, it’s an easy recipe, especially if you’ve made macarons.
Tips & Tricks
- I folded my ingredients together in the bowl of the stand mixer. That bowl has a pointy bottom and made folding a little tricky. I suggest folding the ingredients in a flat bottomed bowl. (Like these ones with lids that I love!)
- When you add the melted butter, the thick batter will kind of slosh around on top. Be gentle and patient. In a minute or two you will have a thick, shiny batter.
- I scooped my first batch with my small cookie scoop. It’s the right size, but the cold batter didn’t come out well. Once I switched to a heaping tablespoon, it got easier.
- You’ll want to shoot for a deep golden brown on your madeleines. For a bigger hump and darker finish, bake at 375℉ for 10 minutes. Just watch that they don’t burn!
Related Reading: 10 Best Basic Baking Tools
The Chill Question
Before I whipped up this recipe, I read roughly a half dozen recipes for classic madeleines. Some recipes said no chill time, while others swore by it. And then some said 30 minutes, and others said overnight. Ain’t that the way things go?
I decided to chill mine for 3 hours. After I portioned out my batter, I had some left, so I threw it back in the fridge. After I took the pan out and let it cool down for awhile, I greased up my pan again and used the rest of the batter. They were still perfect.
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Skip the Stick
Anytime you’re baking in a mold with grooves, a big concern is sticking. If they stick to the pan, your beautiful shell pattern will be ruined and that’s no fun. I liberally brushed my pan with melted butter and had no problems. Personally, I think this pastry brush works better than the silicone ones I have.
The melted butter adds more flavor and gives the madeleines a slightly crisp shell that is wonderful. While I have not tried it, regular baking spray should do the trick and give you a softer finish.
Mandolins
If you’re a regular ‘round these parts, you know that my husband is not a baked goods kind of guy, so I always announce when he’s a big fan of a recipe. Y’all, I made these vanilla bean madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia a few hours ago and he’s eaten almost half the batch!
Before I even made them, he was intrigued because a character in The Transporter made them. He even had me watch the clip of Jason Statham eating the madeleines. And mine looked better, according to my sweet guy. He also keeps calling them mandolins instead. This guy.
Watch Me Bake
Since madeleines are so different from a lot of other recipes, I decided to make a short video to show you exactly how to make these. I’m a visual learner and it helps to see what the batter looks like at the different stages of the recipe. Check it out! You can find even more videos on the Bakes & Blunders YouTube channel
Enjoy!
Vanilla bean madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia are insanely delicious little sponge cakes that you will not be able to resist! And the best part is, they are not crazy difficult to make. You have to try these out for yourself. I love dipping them in coffee and pretending that I’m at a fancy pants brunch. Social distancing affects us all differently, I guess…
Anywho, show me how yours come out on Facebook or Instagram so I can drool over your food!
Vanilla Bean Madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia
Ingredients
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 oz sugar
- 4 oz unsalted butter + extra for greasing
- 4.5 oz all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 1/2 tsp Fiori di Sicilia*
Instructions
- Place the eggs in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip on a medium- high speed. Once the eggs start to foam, add the sugar one spoonful at a time. Once it is all added, scrape the bowl down if you see sugar on the sides. Continue whipping on medium- high until you hit ribbon stage. the mixture should be pale, thick, and fall like ribbons before sinking into the rest of the mixture. This whole process should take about 7- 10 minutes. When the eggs are done, add the vanilla and Fiori di Sicilia, whisk to combine.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter while the eggs whip. Set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, 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 one hour, or even overnight.
- About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter and brush your pan with it. Add a heaping tablespoon of batter to each cavity. It will look ragged, but that's okay. Bake for 12- 15 minutes. The madeleines should be set. Let them cool for a minute or two before removing them from the pan. They should be golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- If you have extra batter, chill it and bake it once your pan has cooled.
- If you cannot find Fiori di Sicilia, you can use 1/4 tsp of orange extract, but the flavor may not be as smooth.
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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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