Welcome to week nine of recreating treats from The Great British Baking Show! Out of all of the bakes so far, this is the one I am most excited about. The theme of the semifinal week on the show was patisserie. For the signature challenge, the bakers had to make Madeleines. There is controversy over this dessert: Is it a cookie or a cake? In my opinion, Madeleines are tea cakes.
In the summer of 2019, I traveled to France and Switzerland on a school trip made up of students from military history and Holocaust studies classes. While the focus of our trip was visiting museums and monuments, there was plenty of free time to explore local towns, including bake shops where I tried more than one delicious French pastry. In this week’s bake, I hope to recreate the light and fluffy texture of true French Madeleines. There is a long standing legend that the small cakes were created by a young girl named Madeleine who filled in for a pastry chef, but the only thing she knew how to make was a recipe from her grandmother. During his rule from 1715-1774, King Louis XV gave Madeleines to his wife Marie who popularized the small cakes by bringing them into French court. Since then, Madeleines have become one of France’s most beloved desserts. Madeleines can be found in the most high end patisserie shops or being served warm at French markets being dipped in coffee. Madeleines can be flavored with nearly anything, but I chose to add vanilla extract and a touch of lemon zest.
Madeleines are fairly simple to make. The central ingredients are butter, flour, eggs, and sugar to which I added vanilla extract and lemon zest. If there is anything tricky about making Madeleines it is whipping the eggs and maintaining the right temperatures. One has to be careful to gently combine the ingredients to maintain the air that was whipped into the eggs. Madeleine batter must also be chilled along with their baking pan for at least half an hour. Madeleines have a distinct hump which is created by the cold batter entering the hot oven.
Out of all of my bakes so far, Madeleines have been the most successful. They are perfectly crispy on the outside featuring a not-too-small, not-too-large hump. The inside is light with a delicate lemon flavor. Overall, I am very pleased with the way these turned out. I enjoyed my Madeleines with a nice cup of tea.
Haven
November 19, 2020 — 5:32 pm
Those look so good! I’m glad that you had a successful bake throughout your endeavors. I find the backstory of these really interesting, too! Did you have to whip the egg whites separately or just whip the eggs until they got pale yellow?
mgh5303
November 19, 2020 — 5:37 pm
I whipped the eggs until they got to a pale yellow color which took about ten minutes.
Jaylen Gwyn
November 19, 2020 — 5:34 pm
That sounds like a very interesting trip and a great anecdote to tie into your topic this week. I also find it interesting how the dessert can be found in such a wide range if places in France. Per usual, it looks like you did a great job on the baking aspect, your posts always get me hungry!
Julia Jakuboski
November 19, 2020 — 5:42 pm
Those look delicious!! I might have to try to make these over the break. I have traveled to both France and Switzerland before, the food was definitely a highlight of both trips. Adding the anecdote and history of the food was a nice touch this week. Good job! I always want to bake after reading your blog.