Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines Recipe #Home Baked

These delightful French Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines combine the perfect soft buttery sponge interior with a crisp, scalloped shaped exterior. Flavored with zesty lemon and dipped in a tangy lemon glaze, I’ve added just the right amount of poppy seeds for some textural crunch. Packed full of flavor, these elegant little delicacies make the perfect afternoon accompaniment with your tea.

They are a light, buttery, small sponges baked in a shell shaped mould typically eaten in the afternoon with tea or coffee. Madeleines originate from a Northeastern region of France called Lorraine. How they came to be is a little murky but one belief is that they were baked and served in the 19th Century to the Prince at the time, and he named them after the baker.

Usually they are served warm, not long out of the oven, either dusted in powdered icing sugar or dipped in a thin glaze. Many markets sell them throughout France and the French enjoy them primarily at two times during the day, either for breakfast dunked in their coffee, or for ‘goûter’, their afternoon tea.

Classic French Madeleines are a very buttery sponge that is texturally light and airy when you bite into them. A plain vanilla Madeleines recipe may also contain a hint of lemon zest in the batter and vanilla extract to sweeten.

With the soft interior the exterior has a crisp edge to it and lightly browned in appearance. This is perfect. The shell shape allows the edges to cook quicker than the center which results in the crispy edge and fluffy center.