Gordon Ramsay’s lemon and poppy seed madeleines are light, fluffy French sponge cakes baked in shell-shaped moulds. Lemon zest and poppy seeds are folded through the batter. Makes 16 in about 25 minutes, including whisking.
The recipe is from Ultimate Home Cooking. Ramsay says he “fell in love with these delicate sponge cakes” while working in Paris and used to buy them for breakfast. He bakes them in his YouTube video.
The whole thing hangs on the whisking. Five minutes of beating eggs and sugar traps enough air to lift the batter without help. Cut that short and you get flat, dense cakes instead of the light shell shape.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Lemon and Poppy Seed Madeleines
Course: Breakfast, DessertCuisine: French, BritishDifficulty: Easy16
madeleines15
minutes10
minutes85
kcal25 minutes
French shell-shaped sponge cakes from Ultimate Home Cooking. Whisked eggs, lemon zest and poppy seeds, baked in 10 minutes. Make the batter the night before.
Ingredients
75g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for greasing
2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour), for dusting
75g (⅓ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 free-range eggs
75g (⅔ cup) self-raising flour (self-rising flour)
1½ tbsp poppy seeds
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
Directions
- Prepare the trays: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush 2 madeleine trays with softened butter, dust with sifted plain flour (all-purpose flour), then tap out the excess.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar: Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk for at least 5 minutes until pale, thick and the mixture holds a trail when you lift the beaters.
- Fold in the dry ingredients: Sift the self-raising flour (self-rising flour) over the egg mixture. Sprinkle the poppy seeds and lemon zest on top. Pour the melted butter down the inside edge of the bowl and fold everything together gently with a spatula. Do not beat or you will knock out the air.
- Fill and bake: Transfer the batter to a jug and pour into each mould, filling to the top. Bake for 8-10 minutes until risen with a golden bump on top.
- Serve: Turn out onto a wire rack. They are best served warm.
Notes
- Ramsay says “the batter will keep in the fridge overnight if you want to bake them first thing in the morning.” Give it a stir before pouring. In the video he also mentions lime, orange and pink grapefruit zest as alternatives to lemon. A small muffin tin works if you do not have a madeleine tray.
FAQs
Why do you whisk for so long?
Ramsay says to whisk the eggs and sugar for at least five minutes. The mixture should be “pale, thick and hold a trail” before you move on. In the video he switches hands every 20 seconds so his arms do not tire.
The air you trap now is what makes the madeleines rise. Self-raising flour helps, but without the whisking the batter stays flat. The vanilla cupcakes use a creaming method instead, which builds air differently through beating butter and sugar.
Can you make the batter the night before?
The batter keeps in the fridge overnight. Ramsay says in the book to mix it again before baking. In the video he calls this the French secret: resting overnight means they rise higher in the oven.
This makes them a brilliant breakfast option. Mix the batter after dinner, cover and refrigerate. In the morning, pour into the moulds and bake while the kettle boils.
What if you do not have a madeleine tray?
A small muffin tin works fine. In the video Ramsay says he has seen them baked in espresso cups. The shape changes but the taste stays the same.
Yorkshire pudding trays work too, though the madeleines will be wider and flatter. Butter and flour whatever tin you use so they pop out cleanly. For a simpler bake that needs no special tin, the cheese scones from the same book use a standard baking sheet.
Can you use a different citrus?
Ramsay uses the zest of two lemons in the book, but in the video he says lime, orange and pink grapefruit all work. The lemon tart from the UCC uses the same sharp citrus against sweet pastry, so the flavour runs through several of his recipes.
For a stronger lemon hit, add a tablespoon of lemon juice alongside the zest. It makes the crumb slightly more tender and the lemon taste more obvious.
How do you serve madeleines?
They are best warm. Ramsay says to serve them straight from the wire rack while they still have heat. They go with coffee for breakfast, which is how he ate them in Paris, or with afternoon tea.
For a breakfast spread, the blueberry ricotta pancakes from the same book sit alongside them well. If you want a bake-ahead option that lasts longer, the banana bread keeps for days and slices well from the fridge.
