If you have been following me for a while, you know I love to pair fruits with fruits, herbs or spices, and I have been doing it since 2014 – ever since I started Jam Lab. I have come up with various flavor combinations way before it became “trendy”/common to do so! I have seen many bloggers “inspired” by my flavor combinations.
Blood oranges are still in season at our local farmer’s market, and while they are still around for the next couple of weeks, I decided to make madeleines – Blood Orange and Strawberry Madeleines that I have been dreaming about since a while. I have a little book where I write down all my flavor combinations, and I get to them when I do, and recipe test and then put it out on the blog.
Blood orange inspirations
Blood oranges are truly the prettiest fruit, with the prettiest hues. I made these Blood Orange, Raspberry and Black Tahini Tarts last year. The combination just works beautifully! Blood orange is citrusy and berries are so fruity/tart/sweet – the combination gels together so well. That is how I came up with Blood Oranges and Strawberries.
What are Madeleines and it’s history?
Madeleines originated from France, and are little spongy cakes, or teatime cake cookies? It is a bit confusing. They have the same ingredients as a pound cake – eggs, butter, sugar, flour, but are baked in these shell shaped pans, have a signature hump on them, and the bottom has the pretty shell pattern from the pan.
You can find more history about madeleines here. French folks usually have them for breakfast with coffee or with tea time in the afternoon. They are light, airy, spongy, petit and delicious!
Madeleines are easy!
They are really easy to put together. I would often make madeleines (the days I would work from home). They would be ready within 1.5 hours and I would have a little snack ready for my kids when they would come back from school. The flavor that I would make is usually a Black Sesame and Lemon Madeleine, when I used to post recipes to Facebook, prior to when I had a food blog!
Ingredients of the blood orange and strawberry madeleine
- All purpose Flour : For a light and airy sponge cake, you require all-purpose flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill as my brand of choice.
- Baking powder: To make it light and airy, a little baking powder is required.
- Eggs : Room temperature eggs are a must. The eggs make the batter light too.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated Sugar whipped with the eggs, to get a ribbon like texture is the important step. The sugar helps with the crispy edges, right when they are fresh out of the oven.
- Blood Orange Zest and Juice: These madeleines have blood orange zest and juice which gives it that bright flavor profile.
Pan to use for making madeleines
There are a lot of options on Amazon. The one that I have used for this recipe is currently unavailable on Amazon. But you can use a standard Madeleine pan that makes 12 cakes.
Method to make the Madeleines
The first most important step to making good madeleines is to whip the granulated sugar, along with the eggs really well to get a ribbon like texture. The whipped eggs make the batter light, and hence the madeleines are airy too.
Next add the blood orange zest, juice, vanilla extract and whisking the batter. Then we add the dry ingredients and mix it gently as you do not want to remove the airiness from the batter. Final step is to fold in the melted and cooled butter.
The batter needs to be chilled for atleast half an hour to an hour. I made these madeleines a few times, without putting the batter in a piping bag, and using a small scoop, and putting the batter in a piping bag. The results are muchhhh better with the piping bag, resulting in even madeleines that have an equal hump on all of them.
The oven has to be at 425 degrees. This helps to give the madeleines the signature hump. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees after 3-4 minutes, and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the bottom of the madeleines are a beautiful brown color. Do not overbake, else you will dry them out.
I dip them in Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration Feves that I get from Amazon. They have a beautiful potent strawberry flavor, and the blood orange and strawberry flavor is just SO perfect!! I jazz them up with sprinkles.
Storing Madeleines:
Madeleines are best stored in an airtight container, for upto 2 to 3 days at the most. They are best eaten on the day off.
They are SO good when dipped in coffee. The sweet madeleine with the bitter coffee is a killer combination!
I hope you get a chance to make these lovely madeleines, and you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.
Other Blood Orange recipe inspirations are:
- Blood Orange Ganache stuffed Cookies with Dark Chocolate
- Blood Orange and Pistachio Bundt Cake with Hibiscus Glaze
Hope you all are enjoying Spring wherever you are!
XO
Amisha
Blood Orange and Strawberry Madeleine
Brussels Sprouts Manchurian Balls
- 120 grams all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 115 grams granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 blood oranges
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons blood orange juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter (113 grams), melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 80 grams Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration feves
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil Sprinkles
Tools:
- 12 cavity madeleine pan
- 1 12 inch pastry bag
- Wilton #802 piping tip
- Pastry brush
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method:
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, sugar, blood orange zest and eggs, and whisk vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and ribbon like.
- Add the vanilla extract, blood orange juice and mix to combine.
- Add the dry mixture to the sugar mixture, using a rubber spatula, mix in one direction until just combined.
- Next add the butter and mix until just combined.
- Place the bowl in the fridge for atleast ½ an hour upto an hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Using a pastry brush, brush each cavity in the madeleine pan with the melted butter. Set it aside.
- Add the batter into a piping bag, fitted with the piping tip.
- Twist the top of the piping bag, push the batter down gently.
- Pipe batter in each cavity to cover it completely.
- Gently tap the pan for the batter to settle.
- Place in the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 3 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the edge turns a normal brown color.
- Remove from the oven, rest for a minute. Bang the pan upside down against the surface. It will release the madeleines onto the surface. Turn them with the hump facing upwards. Cool completely.
Dip and Decoration:
- In a small bowl, add the Strawberry Inspiration Feves, and coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second increments for upto 2 minutes, stirring with a small rubber spatula after each increment. Mix to make a smooth mixture.
- Place a baking sheet with parchment paper on the side.
- Take each madeleine, dip at a 45 degree angle to cover half of the madeleine with the strawberry chocolate. Let the excess drip off.
- Place on the baking sheet. Add sprinkle decorations on the top.
- Repeat for all the madeleines. Place in the freezer to set for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove and rest for an hour. Enjoy with your hot beverage of choice!
- Place them gently in an airtight container, for upto 2 to 3 days.
Notes
- There are a lot of madeleine pan options on Amazon. The one that I have used for this recipe is currently unavailable on Amazon. But you can use a standard Madeleine pan that makes 12 cakes.
- I dip them in Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration Feves that I get from Amazon
- Madeleines are best stored in an airtight container, for upto 2 to 3 days at the most. They are best eaten on the day off.
