Delicious Date & Vanilla French Madeleines

If you're a fan of pretty much any of the gorgeous treats offered in a French Boulangerie/Patisserie you're going to LOVE these Date & Vanilla Madeleines...

Madeleines are petite, bite-sized French sponge cakes that are as delightful to the eye as they are to eat. Flavoured with a hint of vanilla and chopped dates, these adorable little treats are gorgeously sweet, soft and springy. With their classic shell shape they make for a lovely afternoon tea or a tasty & simple dinner party dessert. They're best served fresh from the oven and lightly dusted with powdered (icing) sugar - perhaps with the heavenly addition of individual pots of melted chocolate for guests to dip into.

It's important to note that ideally Madeleine mould trays are needed to create the signature shell shape of these mini cakes (but as an alternative you could use a shallow muffin tray). I've got just one Madeleine tray with 12 individual cake dips in it so I make the Madeleines in batches, cleaning the tray throughly between baking each batch and re-greasing and flouring to keep things non-stick. The finished cakes can be kept fresh in an airtight container for up to 24hrs.

Top tip: make sure the batter has had a chance to go nearly firm in the fridge before spooning it into your Madeleine moulds. The one time I rushed the process and used the batter when it was more fluid, the cakes disappointingly didn't rise at all.

Ingredients:

3 pitted dates, 1 tablespoon vanilla essence, 100g butter, 100g plain flour (+ extra for dusting the moulds), 2 eggs, 100g caster sugar, half teaspoon of baking powder, and a small amount of powdered (icing) sugar for dusting.

Method:

• Finely chop the dates and stir into a small bowl along with the vanilla essence.
• Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and leave to cool a little before dipping a pastry brush in the pan and then brushing the insides of the Madeleine moulds with just a little of the butter. 
• Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the moulds and set aside in the fridge.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale in colour.
• Whisk in the baking powder, then the melted butter.
• Stir in the flour and the date & vanilla mixture.
• Cover the mixing bowl and put in the fridge overnight (or for a minimum of 4 hrs).
• Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7
• When the oven’s up to full heat stir the batter and add a heaped teaspoon into each of the prepared Madeleine moulds (around two thirds full is ideal).
• Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until risen and lightly golden
• Use a knife to lift the madeleines out of their moulds and on to a cooling rack.
• Dust with powdered (icing) sugar and enjoy!

Bon appetite!