The Madeleine is a little buttery cake that originates from Commercy and Liverdun in northeastern France. These areas are close to Verdun, where we are offering our new World War I history tours. The name 'Madeleine' came from the first name of the lady of Commercy, who invented this French-style mini-muffin.

Quick Video of Emilie making Madeleines

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ39449kSiM theme:dark color:red provider:youtube]

 

The famous French author Marcel Proust wrote a long nostalgic passage in 'Swann's Way' about his childhood memories of dunking his madeleine into a cup of tea and putting it into his mouth: “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate, than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me.” 

These are simple, elegant little cakes, and this is my recipe for making 18 little Madeleines.

Madeleine cakes

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 100g flour
  • 100g melted butter
  • 1 table spoon of baking soda
  • 75g sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of milk
  • lemon zest
  • some orange blossom water

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F

Step 2: Start mixing the flour, baking soda and the eggs a little, followed shortly by the sugar, butter and milk, and continue to mix.

Step 3: Add the lemon zest and orange blossom water.

Step 4: Put the mixture in the molds and wait for 10 minutes before putting in the oven (an Amazon link in case you need the mold)

Step 5: Leave in the oven for about 8 minutes. Put a knife in a Madeleine to make sure it is cooked (the knife will come out clean when they are ready)

And finally... Boil the water for some tea, and enjoy your Madeleines just like Proust!

 

Bon Appétit!

 

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Beverley & John
We've just come back from an amazing holiday planned by Emilie. The detailed guide book and all the maps and brochures we received were way beyond our expectations. The information on local customs and language helped us immensely during our stay in France. Emilie was prompt and courteous answering our many questions while planning our custom tour …
Kathy
We are preparing to do our second trip with Emilie to the Loire Valley, October 2018. Our first trip was to the region of Provence which was perfectly guided and gave us a most memorable experience. I highly recommend Emilie’s ability to put together a fabulous and memorable France just for you holiday.
Roger
For my wife and me, Emilie planned three weeks of wonderful experiences. She was quick to respond to questions and crafted an itinerary which suited us. The selection of places to see, things to do, and where to eat were superb. Emilie added a charming personal touch. As it was our 30-year anniversary, she arranged for an accommodation to welcome …
Lola
My husband and I have just returned from an amazing 16 day trip in France organized thoughtfully and beautifully by Emilie of France Just for You. As the other reviewers have stated, all interactions with Emilie have been prompt, professional and thorough. Although we have organized European travel on our own in the past, concerned that we might be …
Dan
An experience OF France, not just a trip TO France. For over 30 years my wife has dreamed of visiting the Loire region of France. Emilie and Laura not only made this a reality, they made it truly a dream trip. The multi-hundred page guidebook not only guided our daily itinerary, it prepared us for what we needed to know for a successful self-guided …
Bobbi
We like to travel independently and Emilie was fantastic in providing us everything we needed to do so. We had wonderful information to read beforehand and received maps and GPS coordinates to get us where we needed to go.This is a great service to use to set up your hotel and car arrangements along with suggested itineraries that can be modified …