Madeleines Recipe

christelle
Jun 23
3 min read

A Sweet Stop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, to make Madeleines with Chef Camille and Archie from The Intrepid Explorers.

⏱️ 45 min • 👩‍🍳 Easy • 💰 Budget-friendly

It was a crisp morning in Paris when Archie and his mum ducked into a tiny pâtisserie tucked between a flower shop and a bookstore in the quaint neighbourhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The scent of warm butter and vanilla drifted through the air as they pushed open the door and heard the cheerful chime of the bell.

They had come to meet Chef Camille, a pastry chef known across the neighbourhood for her Madeleines, delicate golden cakes shaped like seashells.

Chef Camille (smiling): “Bonjour, Archie! Bonjour, Christine! I hear you’ve come to learn a very special French recipe today?”

Archie (looking around, amazed):

“Bonjour! How do you not eat everything in here? It all smells and looks so good!”

Chef Camille (laughing):

“It’s not easy, believe me! And today it’ll be even harder—we’re making Madeleines, my absolute favourite. Do you know where they come from?”

Archie (glancing at his mum, unsure):

“Well… I thought they were from France?”

Chef Camille: “Oui! Madeleines have been made in France for centuries. Legend says they were first baked in the 1700s by a young girl named Madeleine, for the the Polish king Stanislas Leszczyński, Duke of Lorraine, who loved them so much, he gave the little cakes her name.”

Archie: “Cool! So it’s a royal recipe?”

Chef Camille: “Exactement! And the best part? You can make them easily at home.”

🍋 Let’s Make Madeleines!

Ingredients

150 g sugar
200 g flour
2 tablespoons of lemon or orange blossom water
8 g baking powder
100 g melted butter
3 eggs
50 g milk

Utensils

1 madeleine mold
1 oven
1 mixing bowl
1 wooden spoon
1 kitchen scale

Chef Camille (handing Archie a whisk):

“Ready? We start with the basics: eggs, sugar, flour, melted butter, and a little lemon zest.”

Archie: “Lemon? I thought they’d be chocolate!”

Chef Camille:

“Ah, French baking is all about balance. The lemon gives it a fresh twist. But you can try other flavours too liek orange blossom, chocolate, orange, vanilla, or even a touch of honey!”

Instructions (simplified for kids):

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F). Melt the butter over low heat and set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy.

3. Add the orange blossom water and 40 g of the milk.

4. Mix in the flour and baking powder.

5. Then add the melted butter and the rest of the milk. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.

6. Butter the madeleine molds and pour in the batter but don’t fill them to the top as they will rise!

7. Bake at 240°C (465°F) for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 200°C (390°F) and bake for 10 more minutes. Keep an eye on them!

8. Unmold the madeleines as soon as they come out of the oven.

Archie (mouth full of madeleines half and hour later): “Mmm. I could eat ten.”

Chef Camille (winking): “That’s how the King felt too.”

🧁 Try it at Home:

Madeleines are fun, easy, and delicious — a perfect way to explore French baking with your kids! Don’t forget to get creative with flavours once you’ve mastered the basics.

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