Madeleines: England vs France!

Before I posted my Double Chocolate and Salted Caramel Focaccia recipe, it'd been almost a month again since I'd written anything! Switching roles at work, an increased time spent commuting, and dedicating more time and effort to running has left me with very little time to sit and get things on the page. I've managed to handwrite bits about a few bakes, but what good is that here! 

French Madeleines at the front,
English Madeleines at the back! 

I've still been finding time to bake though, and these Madeleines felt like a great way to get back into the groove of baking! 

I'll be honest, I didn't even know English Madeleines were a thing until very recently! I bought a "Vintage Tea Party" book from a charity book stall, as I was intrigued by what people would consider a "vintage" bake, and surprise surprise these English Madeleines were featured! The method is so easy though. Butter and sugar are creamed together, before eggs, flour, and baking powder are added alongside vanilla paste (you could even do this as an all-in-one if you were strapped for time!). The Madeleines are then baked in dariole moulds to achieve their trademark shape! 

The finished English Madeleines! 

To finish the English Madeleines, they're brushed in melted cherry jam and rolled in desiccated coconut, giving the Madeleines flavour, colour and texture! . In all honesty, I didn't make the cherry jam this time, as I thought I had some left over from a batch I made to go in my Bakewell Tart! But if you had more time this is something I would definitely recommend having a go at!  

With the English Madeleines done, I moved on to their competitor. I've battled French Madeleines before, but this was the first time I'd managed to get them as close to spot on as I think I'll get! The method for these Madeleines is a little bit extra compared to the English ones. To start with, eggs and caster sugar are whisked together until the whisk attachments leave thick ribbons. Then, a mixture of melted honey and melted demerara sugar at 120 degrees C is added, and the mixture is whisked again until it cools to room temperature. Finally, plain flour, baking powder, and liquid browned butter are gently folded in, before the batter is baked in shell-shaped mould! 

Not the most elegant, but they 
still tasted insane! 

The final thing to do was to decorate the French Madeleines. I'd seen Manon Legreve use dried rose petals and white chocolate, so I just had to give it a go. The final effect wasn't quite as elegant as I had in mind (and certainly not as polished as Manon's!) but I love the way they turned out nonetheless! 

The definition on the French 
Madeleines blows me away!

It's decision time! English or French? I've thought long and hard about this, but I think I have to give it to the French this time around! My English Madeleines had a superior flavour with the cherry and coconut, but this was the first time I've managed to successfully get the iconic shape of the French Madeleines right, so for me this just about clinches it! 

Side by side! 

Gibby x    


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