After our trip to Paris I’ve been craving all things Francophile when it comes to baking: croissants, macarons and madeleines are all top of my to-bake list. These blood orange and chocolate madeleines combine the light, buttery texture of a traditional madeleine with the bitterness of blood orange, dipped into chocolate before serving for extra indulgence. They are particularly tasty fresh from the oven. To make them, you will need:
100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
2 large eggs
100g golden caster sugar
zest of 2 blood oranges plus juice of 1/2 (about 2 tbsp)
100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
140g chocolate, finely chopped
Blood orange zest, to decorate.
Put the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it foams and turns a nutty brown colour – watch the pan carefully, as it can burn quickly. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Beat the eggs, sugar and zest in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk for about 5 mins until thick and pale. Add the juice and mix to combine.
Mix the flour and baking powder together, then sift over the batter mixture, a third at a time, and fold in.
Add a large spoonful of the batter to the butter, mixing together until smooth. Pour this into the batter and gently fold together until fully combined. Press a sheet of cling film onto the surface of the mixture and chill overnight.
About 30 mins before you want to bake the madeleines, grease a 12-hole madeleine tin with a little extra butter and dust with a little flour. Heat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and put the tin in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Remove the batter from the fridge and add about 1 heaped tbsp to each madeleine hole – be careful not to overfill as they will bake over the edge and won’t form the characteristic hump.
Bake in batches – you can keep the mixture in the fridge and bake within three days – for 10-12 mins or until golden brown around the edges. Immediately turn out the madeleines onto a wire rack and leave to cool. Put the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave in 30 second bursts until about three-quarters of the chocolate has melted. Then stir until the remaining chocolate has melted (a simple method of tempering that ensures the chocolate will set properly at room temperature). Dip each madeleine into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off, then place on a sheet of baking parchment.
As the chocolate starts to set, but while still a little tacky, sprinkle with more orange zest. What are you baking this weekend?
Blood orange and chocolate madeleine recipe adapted from BBC Good Food.