Madeleines are tender little french sponge cakes, the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea and probably one of the prettiest confections that I know of. They are very easy to make and the only special tool you need is the fluted, shell shaped madeleine pan.
I loosely followed Susan Loomis' recipe from Cooking at Home: On Rue de Tatin. I used ground hazelnuts, as well as lemon zest and homemade vanilla extract to flavor the delicate little cakes.
A great tip for these guys is to butter the pan with a pastry brush and melted butter to get into all the little flutes. I then freeze the pan for about 5 minutes and butter again. This ensures that the fluted side will never stick and come out evenly browned.
Unfortunately, due to a tricky oven, mine overcooked a bit on the bottom. Nevertheless, they were perfect with that cup of tea this afternoon.
