Madeleines by Juan Arbelaez:the recipe that takes us back to childhood

In the list of cakes that immediately take us back to childhood, we find chouquettes, sand roses and madeleines ! Soft, delicate and greedy, from the first bite in a madeleine, our memories come back. This little traditional cake , with its shell shape, always puts balm in our hearts. For the record, the madeleine originates from Spain, where it is an integral part of the culinary culture. It arrived in France during the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela and since it has settled at our table, it is impossible to do without it.

Composed of eggs, flour, sugar and butter, madeleines, like pancakes, are very easy to prepare. To treat yourself during the snack, we follow the divine recipe by chef Juan Arbelaez. On his Instagram account, he presents the preparation steps for making your own madeleines with a chocolate coating. A delight that we hasten to realize!

How to prepare Juan Arbelaez madeleines?

For 20 madeleines, you will need:

• 150 g unsalted butter + to butter the baking sheet
• 4 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 135 g of sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 125 g of flour + to flour the baking sheet
• 5g baking powder
• Grated zest of 1 organic lime
• 1 pinch of fine salt
• 150g dark chocolate

Steps for preparing Juan Arbelaez madeleines:

1. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. As it foams, watch until it takes on a slightly amber hue and a nutty smell emerges. Leave to cool in the pan.
2. Mix the whole eggs and yolks with the sugar and whisk at high speed until the mixture whitens. Split the vanilla pod and collect the seeds.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg + sugar mixture. Mix and add the vanilla seeds, lemon zest, pinch of salt and cooled hazelnut butter. Mix again.
4. Butter the madeleine tray and sprinkle a layer of sifted flour over it. Pour the batter into the indentations. Bake for 8 minutes, then open the oven door, lower the temperature to 170 degrees, close the oven door and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Melt the chocolate and dip the madeleines before serving.

The recipe published on Juan Arbelaez's Instagram account comes from his book A table in 20 minutes flat (ed. Marabout), published in April 2021.