Best Lemon Madeleines Recipe (French Butter Cakes with Glaze)
With just enough tang, a soft bite, and a sweet, citrusy glaze. Holy moly, these are the best lemon madeleines. Simply perfection.
During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Limoges, France. I ate plenty of madeleines but never loved them.
Why am I telling you this ahead of giving you a recipe for madeleines? Because this recipe, which I learned in pastry school, changed my mind about these French cakes (often referred to as cookies but… they’re just tiny, buttery cakes).
Heads up: you need to have a digital scale to make the best lemon madeleines from scratch, as the measurements don’t smoothly convert into spoons and cups.
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BEST LEMON MADELEINES
If you’re looking for a buttery, fluffy, mini cake that bakes up pretty, these lemon madeleines are the bake for you. They have a little bit of lemon zest in the cake itself and are finished in a citrusy glaze.
While they are best enjoyed fresh, they pair perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee for a mid-morning or afternoon treat.
Do I need a special pan to make the best lemon madeleines? Yes! You will need a 12-well madeleine pan like this one. This will give you the classic shell shape of these French treats.
INGREDIENTS
- Unsalted butter: adds richness and the signature buttery flavor; also helps create a tender crumb.
- Powdered sugar: sweetens the batter while keeping the texture delicate.
- Baking powder: provides a gentle lift for light, airy madeleines.
- Eggs: bind the ingredients and give structure and moisture.
- Lemon zest: infuses bright citrus flavor throughout the cakes.
- Flour: forms the base of the batter and gives the madeleines their structure.
- Powdered sugar: used in the glaze for sweetness and a smooth finish.
- Lemon juice: adds tartness and helps create the glossy lemon glaze.
How do you get the signature “hump” in a French-madeleine? Chilling the batter before baking creates a temperature contrast and slows the baking powder’s rise, producing that classic dome when it hits the hot oven.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST LEMON MADELEINES
In a small pot, brown the butter until fragrant and golden, then remove from heat and place the pan in a cold water bath. Let the butter cool to about 104°F (40°C) or slightly below before using.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and baking powder. Once the butter reaches the right temperature, pour it into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.
Add the beaten, room-temperature eggs and whisk to blend, followed by the lemon zest. Sift in the flour and gently whisk just until incorporated—avoid overmixing to maintain a light texture.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes or overnight. When ready to bake, grease and lightly flour your madeleine molds and preheat the oven to 428°F (220°C) convection.
Transfer the chilled batter to a piping bag and pipe one narrow line, about ¾ inch wide, from top to bottom in each mold; don’t spread it out, as it will expand on its own. Place the molds in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 320°F (160°C) convection, and bake for 10–12 minutes.
Remove the madeleines from the oven, tip them out right away onto a cooling rack, and flip so the bump side faces up. Allow them to cool completely before glazing.
To make the glaze, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Dip the cooled madeleines, shell side only, into the glaze to coat evenly, then return them to the molds, bump side down.
Bake again at 428°F (220°C) convection for 45 seconds to set the glaze, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 reasons you’ll love this lemony treat
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Pay close attention to temperatures ahead of combining ingredients. Your ingredients need to be room temperature before mixing together! Your browned butter will sieze if whisked in with cold eggs which will affect the final result.
- Don’t skip chilling your lemon madeleine batter! Refrigerating creates a temperature contrast between the cold butter and the hot oven, while slowing the baking powder’s activation until baking — both of which help produce the signature ‘hump’ of a classic French madeleine.
- Only lightly flour your madeleine molds before filling with batter. A little dusting will help them release easily but too much and you could block the shell shape from clearly baking on the madeleines.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can prep your lemon madeleine batter up to a day in advance. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Once baked, the madeleines are best eaten immediately and served warm. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
MORE LEMON RECIPES
- Single-Serve Lemon Tart
- Lemon Earl Grey Buttermilk Scones
- Easy 3-Ingredient Lemon Posset
- Lemon Rosemary Loaf Cake
- One Bowl Lemon Shortbread Cookie Bars
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- 12-well Madeleine Pan
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Pot
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Piping Bag
- Bowls
- Digital Scale
Ingredients
- 83 g Unsalted butter
- 83 g Powdered sugar
- 4 g Baking powder
- 100 g Beaten egg
- ½ Lemon zested
- 83 g Flour plus extra for coating pan
- 125 g Powdered sugar
- 37 g Lemon juice
Instructions
MADELEINES
- Brown your butter by adding it to a small pot over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the fats have separated, dropped to the bottom, and become a light caramel color. Remove from heat and place in a cold water bath. Your butter needs to be at or below 104°F (40°C) before you can use it below
- In a bowl, sift together powdered sugar and baking powder
- Once your butter has cooled, whisk it into your sugar mixture
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your room temperature eggs. Then pour them into the sugar mixture, whisking until combined
- Whisk in your lemon zest
- Sift in flour and gently whisk to combine. Don’t overmix here or it will affect the texture of your cakes.
- Cover your bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight
- Grease and flour* your molds
- Preheat oven to 428°F (220°C) convection
- Add your batter to a piping bag and pipe into each mold a single line, about ¾ inch wide, from top to bottom. Do not spread the mixture, it will spread as it bakes.
- Once your molds are filled, place them into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 320°F (160°C) convection
- Bake 10-12 minutes
- When removing from the oven, tip out immediately onto a cooling rack and flip so the bump side is facing up.
GLAZE + ASSEMBLY
- Preheat your oven to 428°F (220°C) convection
- For your glaze, simply add your lemon juice to a bowl, sift in your powdered sugar, and whisk
- Dip your cooled madeleines, shell side only, into the glaze to coat. Place back in the molds, bump side down
- Place your madeleines back in the oven for 45 seconds only, just to dry the glaze
- Remove and cool completely on a wire rack
