When I was a child it seemed that every mother was baking for all she was worth, turning out all sorts of fancies and iced novelties. A lot of them are just distant memories now, but I can remember my mother getting very frustrated in the kitchen when she couldn’t find a recipe she had been given for some fancy cake or other. Always asking me if I had seen it? As if! My interests were limited to what Cindy was wearing, not worrying where my mother kept her recipe collection. My involvement was in the finished product not how it got there.
Now I am all grown up, I too get frustrated in trying to recreate those same recipes, either by trial and error or by asking around. Someone usually has a recipe handed down or can still remember how their mother made them. The same can be said for my Great Aunt Beatie’s recipe for clotted cream. I wish now that I had taken notes.
It was in a telephone conversation recently that we discussed how fantastic everything was when we were children, days of ever lasting sunshine and school holidays that stretched on for ever, that the memory of Madeleines came up. I don’t think I have seen them around for many decades so perhaps they are ready for a comeback! The English Madeleines are very different to the French ones which are baked in shallow shell shaped moulds. These are baked in dariole moulds covered in jam and then rolled in coconut. The only major tip I would pass on, if you decide to make these, is to make sure you grease, grease again with butter and then flour the moulds, because the sponge has a tendency to stick.
Madeleines
Ingredients
100g/ 4 oz butter
100g/ 4 oz caster sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
100g/ 4 oz self raising flour
60 ml (4tbs) strawberry jam (or any red jam that is mainly jelly not whole fruits)
75g/ 3 oz desiccated coconut
glace cherries halved to decorate and a few mint leaves.
8 Dariole moulds
Method
Turn oven to Gas mark 4 (180C/350F).
Grease and flour 8 dariole moulds – this is one of the most vital parts of the recipe, if the moulds are not greased enough the cakes will not come out in one. Put these onto a baking tray.
Beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time. Then using a metal spoon gently fold in the flour.
Fill each of the dariole moulds 2/3 full with the butter mixture.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on your cooker) the cakes should be risen and when gently touched should spring back.
Cool slightly in their moulds. You want them to have cooled enough to handle. If you remove them from the moulds straight from the oven they will break.
To turn these out I run a knife around the edge to loosen them and then gentle shake – they should come out in one. Leave them to cool on a wire rack.
When the cakes are cool slice any excess from the bottom so that they can stand flat – I put mine back into the moulds and used the bottom edge as a guide.
Melt the jam in a pan and pour onto a plate. On another plate spread the coconut out. Either brush the cakes with the jam or roll the cakes gently in it, be generous making sure that the surface is covered otherwise the coconut won’t stick. Then roll in the coconut. The idea is to cover the tops and sides leaving the base clean.
Top with the glace cherry and serve. To store keep in an airtight container.
Maria Dernikos 
Lovely madeleines, a favourite for me and my sister when we were children as neither of us liked icing, we enjoyed them most with raspberry jam. Now we both still love them. Thanks for the revival of a British favourite!
I did wonder whether to post this recipe – didn’t think anyone would remember them or want to remember them!! Trouble is we are so spoiled for choice these days we forget the simple things of days gone by!!! oh hark at me.
Very interesting recipe, Maria: you taught me something, I have to say I was only aware of the French version of madeleines (which I absolutely love) but did not know anything about the English take of them! They sure look great! 🙂
But nothing like the French ones!!! not only look different but taste different too.
You and Proust and madeleines! 😉 Beautiful post
Thank you.
Lovely post indeed.
I really related to your post. When I was a child (and a teenager … and a young woman and a less young woman) I want not interested in the food making process either. 🙂 I don’t even know how many recipes of my family got lost during all those years.
I though madeleines were a “French property” only. Never heard or seen the English version. The look great! 🙂
Well Francesca, I think that the French would raise an eyebrow or two other these English versions. The only similarity is that they are both in the cake section but that’s it. I don’t know where the name comes from, perhaps the French pinched the name and did their own version!!!!!
Maria, These are beautiful desserts! I was looking to learn how to make French Madeleines… is this the same recipe with different shape and frosting?
Fae, French Madeleines are made with a génoise cake mixture, these are made with a sponge mixture, the same as a Victoria sponge. The ratio being 4,4,4 flour, sugar, butter and 2 eggs.
Gorgeous! I had no idea that there was another type of Madeleines. These look unbelievably delicious. Thanks for sharing! It’s interesting how your perspective changes and you come to worry about the same things your parents did.
Thank you. As so many say we do all turn into our parents in some small way. Sometimes its quite frightening!! especially when you find yourself repeating some of their sayings!
Maria, these are absolutely beautifully and seem to only require a few simple ingredients. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. I love to hear such memories since I can’t remember that much about food in my childhood home.
Thank you Kathleen. Our house revolved around food and entertaining. My father always said that every time he came home for dinner there would be a new face at the table!
These took my by surprise, Maria. I’d no idea that there would be such a great difference between the 2 Madeleines. I’m only familiar with the French but sure would like to give the English version a try. They look delicious!
Thank you John. How they got the name Madeleines I don’t know. They are very different to the French version. I haven’t seen them for so long so thought perhaps a revival is needed. It would be interesting to see who made them first!!!!
You know someone made these when I was little. This sparked a hazy memory. 🙂 I’ll have to give these a go. That is if I can find the moulds over here.
They are I think the common moulds! but you could even baked them in a tray cut them in squares and cover with jam and coconut, they will taste the same!
True! 🙂
The smell this recipe evoked is pervading my nostrils as I type! I loved my mother’s baking sessions. This post wafted me straight back to that kitchen of my childhood. Thanks for the memories.
Thank you Maureen for your lovely comment. Smell and taste really do trigger the memory.
Beautiful post Maria and your photography is wonderful.
Thank you Lindy. The photography is the thing I struggle with the most. I keep telling myself I will go on a course.
Maria! You are my kindred spirit… I keep saying the same thing but honestly – your photographs are BEAUTIFUL. You could quite likely teach the course!
Ha, Lindy if you saw how many I take there has to be at least one usable amongst them! Sometimes I have to make the recipe twice because the first lot of pictures were awful and we couldn’t wait anymore and have eaten it! There is a reason why there are so many baking recipes opposed to main courses on my site.
I would love a website where you just ask one question and you get to speak to the other person via Facetime so that you can actually see what they are doing with the camera. I don’t have time for 2/3 days courses nor would I be able to take it all in.