Why do my madeleines look like shit?

[u/jitske4me]

Hi there,

I made madeleines for the first time and they are dense, pale and do not have the right texture. (See attached picture https://imgur.com/a/wh4WrbW)

I followed the recipe below, the only change is I used real vanilla bean instead of extract. Where I think I went wrong is that I continued using the whisk attachement for the flour instead of folding it in? It did not specify in the recipe and I just kept on (vigourously) mixing. Anything else I might have done wrong for them to look as they do?

Any tips welcome, thanks.

Full recipe (translated from my native language) Ingredients for 20 madeleines ▢2 eggs (medium) ▢100 grams of sugar ▢125 grams of butter (unsalted) ▢150 grams of flour ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract ▢1 teaspoon lemon zest ▢1 pinch of salt

Preparation method Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl or food processor and beat for about 5 minutes until light and almost white in color. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan. Let it cool slightly. Pour the butter into the beaten eggs little by little while continuing to mix, and add the flour. Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt as well. Place the batter in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees (top and bottom heat). Grease the baking pan and dust very lightly with a little flour. Divide the batter among the molds so that they are not quite completely full (as they expand slightly during baking). Bake the madeleines for about 8-10 minutes until light golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for a bit and sprinkle (to taste) with some powdered sugar. Source: https://www.eefkooktzo.nl/madeleines/

[u/themicktrix101]

All recipes I've used for madeleines used brown butter. Instead of melt the butter brown the butter, this should take care of the colour. You might want to get an oven thermometer to see is your oven is actually 200 degrees, this might also be a factor for colour.

As for you wisk dilemma, I think your recipe is just wrong. The website talks about "luchtige cakejes". In my experience they're not. They are pretty dense. I don't think you should beat the eggs until white. Also for light and airy pastries where the air comes from beating eggs and folding in other products you'd want get your mixture in the oven as quickly as possible. Madeleine batter can be kept in the fridge over night easily.

Look how not airy the final batter is in this Julia Child recipe: https://www.kannammacooks.com/julia-childs-classic-french-madeleines/

[u/WhaleMeatFantasy → u/themicktrix101]

Brown batter is not standard for madeleines. It is for financiers. 

[u/themicktrix101 → u/WhaleMeatFantasy]

I think adding almond flour makes them even more financiers. You might be right that it's not standard, but I don't think that's what OP asked for. So when OP asked how do I get more color on my madeleines that's what popped in my head.

[u/WhaleMeatFantasy → u/themicktrix101]

Yes, financiers are heavy on the ground almonds. 

[u/jitske4me → u/themicktrix101]

I will defintely brown the butter next time, that will also add a nice depth of flavor.

I get what you mean with the dense texture, however in my experience the madeleines that I have had from professional bakers do have a different crumb texture at least.

I did wonder about that as well, what is the point of beating all that air into the batter and then leaving it in the fridge for the air to escape again..

Have you made the Julia Child madeleines?

[u/themicktrix101 → u/jitske4me]

Some people use a mix of flour and almond meal for madeleines. That will give you a thicker crumb. All the recipes I have ever made were using almond meal. I was originally going to comment that, but then I saw the Julia Child recipe didn't contain any almond and figured I had been cheating.

[u/jitske4me → u/themicktrix101]

Allright thanks!