It’s snowing again outside. And we also have a new visitor staying with us this weekend … Pucky, a boisterous Jack Russell mix, who loves a game of football. His owners have left him in our care for the next four days while they have returned to the UK on family matters. My own dog, Doopey, will have to play the role of big brother … and he’s not really fulfilling his responsibilities. Actually, he’s rather ambivalent to Pucky’s presence, which can be a good thing I suppose.
Anyway, I have finally purchased a madeleine pan and I am happy to announce that it is brilliant! I bought a Master Class pan from Amazon.co.uk. I must admit that when it arrived it was bigger than I had initially anticipated, and heavier too. I was impressed with the quality of the product, especially since I paid a reasonably low price for it. It felt sturdy and durable, which is good news for me coz I tend to break things easily.
To test the pan, I used a JoyofBaking recipe for classic Madeleines, but modified the flavour from vanilla to chocolate. I intended to make a citrus version but then realised I had none in my pantry. Crap. So chocolate it is then. Oh well, everybody loves chocolate anyway, don’t they? R. wolfed down ten of these on the spot then returned to the kitchen for more. I shooed him out.
(Recipe adapted from Stephanie Jaworski of JoyofBaking.com)
Ingredients (makes 24)
- 113 g unsalted butter, melted
- 130 g castor sugar
- 110 g flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Melt the butter over a double boiler then set aside to cool
Whisk eggs and sugar together until thick, foamy and the batter falls in nice long ribbons.
Add in the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
Add the cooled melted butter to the mixture, stirring gently.
In a clean bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add this to the mixture in thirds, folding it in with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Make sure you get right down to the bottom coz that is where the dry ingredients tend to settle.
Mix until just combined and the batter is still light and airy.
Generously grease the madeleine pan with butter dusted with flour, or use cooking spray. Wipe off the access with a kitchen towel. Spoon mixture into the moulds until 2/3 full.
Place in a 220ºC oven and bake for 10 – 13 minutes. And you are done. Allow to cool completely and then serve at room temperature, lightly dusted with icing sugar.
When the pan came out of the oven, the little cakes popped out of the mould without any trouble whatsoever. Well the pan is of course brand-spanking new, so the inside surface is as smooth as satin. My cakes did not have the classic humped dome in the centre tho … but that’s ok. Today I just wanted to test out the pan itself.
All in all I think this is a very good pan; it is heavy with a good double layer non-stick surface. Made from a single sheet of carbon steel, it comes with a 20-year guarantee (5-year non-stick warranty). Looks promising. I’d definitely recommend this product to anyone who is interested.
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