Irish Coffee Madeleines
This month I bring to you a classic French patisserie with a modern Irish twist! Madeleines are the lightest and probably most joyous bite sized cakes you could ever wish to eat - sorry to all you cupcake lovers, but I’m about to convert you. Traditionally they are made with honey and have a whole raspberry in the centre, but I’ve given it a modern twist. Flavoured with coffee and drizzled in a dark rum glaze, could you really ask for anything more?! They’re shaped like tiny little shells, so you’ll need to find the right tin for this, but I often see them in charity shops!
Ingredients
100g butter
85 plain flour
2 eggs, separated
2 tsp honey
1 ½ tsp coffee granules, or a coffee spread/ paste.
80g caster sugar
15g demerara sugar
Icing sugar
Dark/ spiced rum
Method
Using a pastry brush melt a little extra butter and grease the Madeleine tin, making sure to fully cover each shell. Then, dust flour over the tin and shake off the excess. This really helps get them out once they are baked.
In a small saucepan heat the butter until it looks golden brown and a little frothy, it should smell nutty too. Then sieve together the cocoa and flour into a large bowl. Add the honey, egg yolks, both sugars, coffee and melted butter, and stir until combined.
In another bowl whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks, you’ll know its done when you lift the whisk out of the bowl and the frothy mixture holds itself when dropped into the bowl. Next, carefully fold the meringue mixture into the cocoa mix. Do this careful so as not to beat out the air, which makes the cakes so light and fluffy.
Using a teaspoon, (or preferably a piping bag if you can be bothered!) spoon a small amount of mixture into each shape in the tin, fill it a little over half way. Once you’ve filled the tin, chill it in the fridge for 1 hour.
Bake for 10-12 mins at 200C/180 fan/ gas 6, take them out of the oven and remove each Madeleine only once completely cooled.
For the icing simply mix together icing sugar and rum for a delicious glaze! You’ll need about a 2:1 ratio and you can make just enough for a drizzle, or if you’re like me, make a lot more and dunk each one fully in the boozy glaze.
Written by Amy Howard
Hey everyone! My name is Amy Howard and I'm a photographer, food lover and wannabe Bake Off contestant. I live and work in Bristol and most weekends you'll find me in a restaurant or cafe either discovering somewhere new or returning to my all time favourite spots in the city. I believe that life is about balance, which is the reason I run, to combat the effects of all the cake I find myself consuming...