essential kitchen tools

Cinnamon Madeleines

A madeleine is a small, plump sponge cake, eaten like a cookie, often after dunking it in a cup of tea or coffee. No one is certain when madeleines first appeared, but one story dates their origin to the town of Commercy in Lorraine, later popularized at Versailles and then in Paris by Stanislas Leczinski, King of Poland and father-in-law of Louis XV. As the story goes, the cake was invented in 1755 during a feast given in Commercy by Leczinski at which a young servant named Madeleine cooked this traditional cake and saved the dinner. and once you taste them, you'll know why. The small, buttery French cakes, forever immortalized in Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, as a "little shell of cake, so generously sensual beneath the piety of its stern pleating", looking as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell" are perfect for a Christmas tea party or paired with some gourmet tea to give as a holiday gift. You will need to have a madeleine pan for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Spray madeleine molds with non-stick spray. In a double boiler, heat eggs and sugar stirring constantly; whipping in as much air as possible. Remove from heat, let cool.

Stir in flour, then add remaining ingredients. Fill madeleine molds with a generous amount of batter, but don't spread it out. Bake until lightly browned, approximately 15 minutes.

Cool one minute, then remove to racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in chocolate.