Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Their flavor is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, pound cake, with a pronounced butter-and-lemon taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
? cup + 1 tablespoon butter
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon, more to tast

Procedure:

Step 1 Grease Madeleine tins and set in the freezer. Heat the oven 400°F/200°C.

Step 2 Sift together the flour and baking powder. Melt the butter, and stir in the sugar and honey.

Step 3 Lightly beat the eggs, and temper them into the butter mixture.

Step 4 Whisk into the flour to make a smooth batter (don't over whisk as this will make the Madeleine doughy instead of light and airy).

Step 5 Pour into the moulds and bake until the cakes are puffed up, golden around the edges and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, without opening the door during cooking.

Step 6 Serve with seedless raspberry sauce (with a couple of tbsp of Grand Marnier) and unsweetened whipped cream! YUM!