Meyer Lemon Madeleines

Meyer lemons add a springtime vibe to these classic madeleines. The little cakes are the perfect teatime treat.

I should have titled this post, “One Year Later”. It’s the lens through which many of us are probably seeing life these days. Seemingly overnight the world changed and we’ve been comparing our days pre-Covid to our “new normal” (are you tired of that phrase yet?) and trying adjust since; I can’t help but reflect on just how much.

For me, this past year can be summed up by this: faith over fear–daily battles between the two, the latter victorious in the early days more times than I’d like to admit. I lived in constant fear of my parents and my husband catching the virus so I became the mask and hand sanitizer police. It didn’t help that my husband and I had to shuttle between here and Idaho during the worst time to travel. At home, a lot of little decisions that I’d never given much thought to before were suddenly very important and required much consideration. I found myself opting out of doing a lot of things I had done previously because of potential risk of exposure to the virus–window shopping, a quick errand to the market for one or two items, a new plant from the nursery.

One year later, here we are. My family has so far stayed safe and more especially, my husband, parents and sisters have been vaccinated. This is not everyone’s story–I know families that have suffered great loss so I’m very thankful.

Although the world is not over the hump, my outlook this spring is one of gratitude and hope…to be able to hug my parents again, to be able to spend time with our friends, to continue to find and celebrate the simple joys in each day.

And speaking of humps and simple joys and springtime hope, these Meyer lemon madeleines are all these things in one.

If made to choose between cake or cookies I will always take the cake. Madeleines are a happy medium because even though they are actually a sponge cake they come in a pretty, cookie-sized package. With all the flavor variations I’ve put together over the years I can’t believe that I’ve not made a lemon-flavored Madeleine until now, especially since I’ve read that the original French Madeleine recipe was infused with citrus flavor.

A regular lemon would work in this recipe but I happen to have a Meyer lemon tree so it’s what I’ve used here. Either way, the little cakes will have just a hint of citrus flavor from the zest in the batter so in order brighten things up I recommend dipping them in lemon glaze. The glaze in this recipe is thinner than most because the goal is to add a second of layer of lemon flavor without adding much more sweetness. Feel free to adjust the glaze with less lemon juice (especially if you’re using a regular lemon which is more tart) and more powdered sugar.

The Key to the Classic Madeleine Hump

If you want the characteristic humps/bumps on your madeleines chill the dough overnight. I learned this from my favorite cookbooks by Pierre Hermé. The chilled dough when put in a hot oven will generate steam that will create those coveted humps. If you’re in a hurry, you can chill the dough for a few hours but the bumps won’t be as pronounced though they should taste just as nice.

You Don’t Need a Stand or Hand Mixer to make Madeleines

One of the things I love about madeleines is how unfussy they are. While you do need a special pan they are very easy to prepare. I’ve noticed that a lot of recipes require the use of a stand mixer or hand mixer but they’re not necessary, a bonus if you’re a lazy baker like I am. Two bowls and a whisk are all you need.

More Madeleine Recipes in the Blog Archives:

1. Matcha Green Tea Madeleines
2. Vanilla-Mocha Madeleines
3. Orange-Cardamom Madeleines
4. Parmesan-Herb Madeleines
5. Chocolate-Dipped Spiced Pumpkin Madeleines
6. Honey-Mango Madeleines
7. Chocolate Madeleines