Madeleines: the miniature French cake that majors on flavour

In one sense, a madeleine is simply a small cake. In fact, it’s an extremely classic cake, made with the genoise method. But there’s more to a madeleine than that: the proportions of madeleines, their miniature nature and scalloped shape, mean that they have a perfect contrast between their slightly sticky, almost crisp outside, and impossibly light and soft interior. Traditionally they are made with browned butter, which does what browned butter does best, bringing depth and complexity to a straightforward sponge. The dark muscovado and honey in the recipe elevate these little sponges from a miniature cake into something really special.

The holy grail when madeleine making are those characteristic bumps in the centre of the cake, sitting like pregnant tummies. The genoise sponge – where whole eggs are whisked with sugar until super thick, then flour is folded into it, followed by melted butter which is drizzled gently into the batter – helps.