Madeleines, those cute little, shell- like French cakes are currently my new obsession. It all started with a half price madeleine tin (who could resist?). Next came the search for the perfect recipe which I found courtesy of David Lebovitz (www.davidlebovitz.com). Last year I read his book, ‘The Sweet Life in Paris’, about his life cooking in Paris, so I knew I was onto a good thing. It was there I learned about the hump! Apparently, any decent madeleine needs one. I also learned that for the best results, you should put the greased and floured baking tray in the freezer and refrigerate the batter for at least an hour.

I’ve stayed true to David’s basic recipe, but I’ve adapted it with the lime and coconut. I was really pleased with how they came out, but I’ve eaten so many that I think my next post may have to be a salad!

Ingredients

3 large eggs, at room temperature

130g granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

175g plain flour

40g desiccated coconut

Zest of 2 limes

120g unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional melted butter for preparing the moulds

150g icing sugar

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

• Brush the indentations of the madeleine mould with melted butter. Dust with flour and tap off any excess and place the mould in the freezer.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.
• Spoon the flour and baking powder into a sieve and use a spatula to fold in the flour mixture as you sift it over the batter.
• Add the lime zest and coconut to the mixture and fold until incorporated.
• Add the melted butter a few spoonfuls at a time while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)
• To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200° C/ Gas mark 7
• Spoon the batter to ¾ fill each mould. Don’t spread the mixture.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes until the cakes feel set.
• While the cakes are baking, make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar and lime juice until smooth.
• Remove the madeleines from the oven. When they are cool, brush on the glaze with a pastry brush. When the glaze is dry, lightly dust with icing sugar.