What are Madeleines?
Madeleines are small sea shell shaped cakes. When you flip the wavy shell side upside down, they sort of resemble little UFOs or speed boats. They may have a sweet flavor, a zesty zing, or both. In some cases, you’ll find Madeleines with a chocolate shell on the top surface. Usually a white chocolate is used to take on any color that is requested, but milk chocolate or darker chocolates can be used too.
The consistency of a madeleine is that of a cake. They are light and mildly springy in consistency, with a beautiful yellowish-to-golden color. Don’t confuse them with sponge cake as they’ll break before they squish and then rebound. They’re fantastic by their lonesome and slightly more sweet with a chocolate covering over the top.
What do your madeleines taste like?
Our Madeleines have both a zesty citrus zing and a sweetness to them while also revealing a hint of aromatic pleasantness. We try to step forward from the ‘traditional’ box and add something to help the flavor pop. We are also able to add chocolate over the shell upon request.
That being said, there’s a little secret about Madeleines that most don’t know, because it’s counter-intuitive. Did you know that the Madeleines feel and taste more fresh on or after day two? YEP! After baking, the Madeleine will feel slightly dry and lead many people think that they’re either dry or over baked. If you allow the Madeleines to sit in a bag together overnight, they start to gain that sticky moist texture, which is what you’d expect of a traditional cake.
Note that if you like the zest more than the sweetness, adding chocolate will slightly mute the zesty flavor.
What do you recommend?
We love the plain Madeleines without the chocolate layer. Now don’t misunderstand us here, they’re fantastic in both forms. It is significantly easier to make a larger quantity of Madeleines that aren’t chocolate dipped and regrettably, these little things disappear quickly. Plain Madeleines are also more temperature tolerant than those with chocolate on them, so there’s no worry about melting if they’re in a warm environment. Have you ever given a toddler chocolate and then discovered that chocolate was everywhere? The chocolate is also an extra sugary ingredient and extra work is required to coat the Madeleines so the costs nudges upward a little more as well.
We suggest that if you want Madeleines, that you confirm a couple of days ahead of any event so that they have some time to moisten up and become more enjoyable. We can help you to get the timing correct so they taste the best when you’re ready to surprise and impress. Also, large orders take time when they need to have a chocolate shell. They’re beautiful for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, or somebody that you’re buttering up to. Please allow time to prepare these little treats.
What size are they?
Our Madeleines are between 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches wide by about 3 to 3-1/2 inches long.
What quantities are available?
We sell our Madeleines by the dozen. If you know what these are and you like them, you can burn through a couple dozen rapidly. If you’re a gift giver, you’ll want a few dozen.
