Madeleines are French sweets that are a cross between cookies and cakes. They are usually baked in shell-shaped molds or a special Madeleine pan with shell indentations. We flavored this traditional French concoction with fragrant Yuzu citrus peel. The distinctive Yuzu citrus aroma is unusual but a surprisingly good match with the buttery rich cake.
Madeleines are one of the old popular baked items at cake shops and other western-style sweet stores in Japan. In the old days, Japanese Madeleines were small, flat, and round cakes, like short cupcakes, instead of the traditional shell shape, and often sold boxed to be a gift. They were a softer and fluffier cake, rather than cookies. Now more authentic shell-shaped Madeleines are mainstream in Japan, but the round soft cakes are always nostalgically remembered by those above a certain age.
Yuzu citrus looks like a yellowish mandarine orange. It has its own smell, not lemon or lime, or really any other citrus. Yuzu is in season in winter and used in many winter dishes like soup and hot pot. Although peel and zest are the main attraction, its juice (there are lots of seeds!) is also used to add tanginess. Yuzu Madeleines are easy to make and delicious, but the hardest part of this recipe may be finding fresh Yuzu. If you have a Japanese grocery store nearby, you can probably find Yuzu there, especially in winter. Otherwise, you may be able to buy a powdered form of Yuzu or even a liquid extract, but they may be as hard to find as the fruit itself. Yuzu, however, is becoming more and more popular in the US, so hopefully your local market may carry them in the near future.
If you are lucky to find some Yuzu, grab them and make these Madeleines. It is very easy and quick to make, but the end product is rather elegant, dusted with powdered sugar. Yuzu Madeleines are great for tea time and also a perfect ending for a Japanese dinner.
Yuzu Madeleines
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Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 Yuzu citrus grated peel
- pinch salt
- 5 oz butter melted and cooled
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375 F (190 C). Brush melted butter (not in the ingredients list) in the shell indentations of the Madeleine pan.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer to blend for 2 minutes. Add flour, grated Yuzu peel, and salt, and mix for a couple of minutes. Add melted butter gradually to the batter until well mixed, scraping down the sides.
- Put the batter in a piping bag. Fill the shell indentations of the Madeleine pan about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove Madeleines from the pan and cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
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