Raspberry and Blueberry Madeleines

. October, 2015
Photography by Claire Aldous.
Raspberry and Blueberry Madeleines

Made famous by Marcel Proust in his novel 'Remembrance of Things Past', these gorgeous little cakes are perfect for morning or afternoon tea and work really well using either fresh or free-flow frozen berries.

INGREDIENTS

125 grams butter, melted and cooled
zest 1 large lemon, grated finely
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 x eggs, size 7 (large) at room temperature
125 grams caster sugar
125 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
frozen blueberries and raspberries

METHOD

Generously brush the indentations of a 12 hole madeleine tray with softened butter and place in the fridge until ready to fill. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake.

Combine the butter, lemon zest and vanilla and set aside. Beat the eggs and caster sugar in an electric mixer until very thick and pale and tripled in volume.

Sift over the combined dry ingredients and using a large metal spoon, gently but thoroughly fold together, ensuring there are no pockets of flour in the batter.

Add the butter and fold through. It does take a little time to get the butter absorbed into the batter. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm up the butter.

Place a tablespoon of batter in each mould and top each with 3-4 berries. Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden and just set but not too firm. Don’t over-bake or they will be dry.

Lift out and place on a cooling rack. Clean, dry and re-butter the tin to make the second batch.

Dust with icing sugar and serve warm if possible. Eat on the day of making. Makes 24.