Tender and fluffy Chocolate Madeleines which will steal your heart! Tips for making the perfect madeleines and recipe with step-by-step photos.
Heart-Shaped Madeleines
Call me kitsch, but I couldn’t resist adding to my madeleine pan collection when I saw this heart-shaped mould late one night on Amazon. Those last five words also explain why the postman shows up at our place almost everyday, the poor guy.
But as madeleines make a frequent appearance in our home (our kids are half-French, after all!), I felt somewhat justified in making this purchase. And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, these little cakes are bound to set hearts a flutter 💕
Chocolate Madeleines Recipe
This recipe for chocolate madeleines is adapted from my recipe for classic French Madeleines. This is a madeleine recipe which I have been faithfully using for decades, and it honestly makes for light and tender madeleines with a fluffy centre.
This chocolate version is equally delicious, maybe even more delicious because no one can resist chocolate in any form.
I usually serve chocolate madeleines plain, but for special occasions (like Valentine’s Day), it takes only a little extra effort to decorate them. Here, I have dipped the madeleines in some melted chocolate and sprinkled them with a mix of pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries for a pop of colour.
Madeleine Cake Pans
Madeleine pans come in various shapes and sizes. Madeleines are traditionally baked in an elongated shell shape pan, and which come in small and large sizes.
You can also find madeleine pans which are round scallops or heart-shaped, but with the distinct shell imprint on one side.
Although I love the traditional madeleines, I am rather impartial to the round and heart-shaped madeleines; their round shape means that the cakes are more compact and puffed, like eating a mini muffin.
How to Make Chocolate Madeleines
Step 1
To make the batter, whisk the eggs and sugar for about 1-2 minutes with an electric whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.
Add the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is mixed.
Last, add the melted butter and continue whisking until everything is thoroughly mixed and the batter is smooth.
Place the batter in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.
If you plan to use a piping bag later, I recommend transferring the batter to the piping bag now, and placing the piping bag in the fridge.
Step 2
Generously grease a madeleine pan with non-stick baking spray, plus a light sprinkle of cocoa powder. Tap the pan over the kitchen sink to remove any excess cocoa powder. These steps will ensure that your madeleines will not stick to the pan, even if you are using a non-stick pan.
Fill each madeleine pan until about 3/4 full, either with a spoon or a piping bag (I find the latter to be easier).
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 270°C/518°F and place a baking tray on the middle shelf.
Place the madeleine pan in the oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 210°C/410°F.
Bake the madeleines for about 7-12 minutes, depending on the size of your madeleine mould. If you are using a heart-shaped madeleine pan similar to that pictured, the baking time should be about 10-12 minutes.
For chocolate madeleines, you can tell that they are baked when the edges start to change colour slightly.
Cool the madeleines on a wire rack. In my husband’s family, madeleines are proudly displayed showing the large bumps on the cakes, and the bigger the bumps, the more successful the madeleines. This means that the madeleines should be cooled with the shell-side facing down so that the bumps do not become flattened.
However, in the world of Pinterest and Instagram, most people like to show off the shell-side of the madeleines, which would mean cooling the cakes with the bumps facing down, which would cause the bumps to flatten as they cool. You decide 😉
Tips For Making Madeleines
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until they the mixture is pale yellow and thick. This step helps to aerate the mixture to produce light and fluffy madeleine cakes.
- I like to use an electric stand-mixer when making madeleines, but you could simply use a bowl and whisk, with a bit of upper-arm energy!
- Madeleines are best when the batter is left to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to several days. This resting period allows the gluten in the flour to develop, which helps to make light and fluffy madeleine cakes.
- The batter needs to be fridge-cold before you fill the madeleine moulds and bake them, because it is the combination of cold batter and the shock of the hot oven which helps the madeleines to achieve their characteristic bumps.
- I recommend using either non-stick or aluminium madeleine pans which conduct heat better to produce a nicer crust on the madeleine cakes. I have rarely had good results with silicon madeleine moulds.
- If you don’t have a madeleine pan, you can also use a muffin pan and adjust the baking time accordingly.
More Madeleine Recipes
If you are looking or more madeleine recipes, you might also like:
PrintChocolate Madeleines
- Resting Time: 1 hour
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 24 heart-shaped cakes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Tender and fluffy Chocolate Madeleines which will steal your heart! Tips for making the perfect madeleines. Recipe with step-by-step photos.
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RateIngredients
For the Chocolate Madeleines
- 3 eggs
- 150 g (½ cup plus 3 tablespoons) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 115 g (3/4 cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 30 g (1/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 g (1 ⅓ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- butter and flour (or non-stick baking spray) to grease the madeleine mould
To decorate
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- unsalted pistachios, crushed
- freeze-dried raspberries, crushed
Instructions
For the Chocolate Madeleines
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. This step should take 1-2 minutes using an electric stand-mixer, or a bit longer if you are whisking by hand.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
- Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Next add the melted butter.
- Continue whisking until you have a thick and smooth batter.
- Leave the batter to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. If you plan to use a piping bag, I recommend transfering the batter to a piping bag now, and placing the piping bag into the fridge until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 270°C (518°F).
- Place a baking tray on the middle shelf.
- Generously grease the madeleine mould with non-stick baking spray and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Place the mould over the kitchen sink and tap to remove any excess cocoa powder. I recommend doing this step even if you are using a non-stick mould.
- Fill each madeleine mould until about 3/4 full, either with a spoon or with a piping bag filled with the batter.
- Place the madeleine pan in the oven, and immediately turn down the temperature to 210°C (410°F).
- Bake until the madeleine cakes have risen and are cooked through. For chocolate madeleines, they are generally cooked when the edges start to change colour. For most standard madeleine moulds, this should take about 7-10 minutes, depending on your oven. For a heart-shaped madeleine mould similar to that pictured, this should take about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the madeleine pan from the oven, and wait a few minutes before carefully removing the cakes from the moulds.
- Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack (ideally with the shell-side facing down so that the bumps are untouched).
To decorate
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a bain-marie or double-boiler.
- Dip one corner of the madeleines into the chocolate.
- Sprinkle some crushed pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries, or other edible decorations of your choice, onto the melted chocolate.
- Place the madeleines on a wire rack to set.
Kitchen Notes
VARIATIONS
For more madeleine recipes:
French Madeleines
Lamington Madeleines
Madeleines with Lemon Curd
Madeleines with Nutella
WHICH BAKING PAN TO USE
Madeleines are baked in a specialty cake pans which are shell-shaped. These shell-shaped pans come in various shapes and sizes. You can also use a muffin pan.
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
The batter can be made several days ahead of time and left in the fridge to rest. I have kept batter in the fridge for up to 5 days with no problems.
STORAGE TIPS
The madeleines are best eaten on the same day they are baked, but they keep well for several days on a covered cake stand.
OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
They were delicious! I even bought the same pan as yours and the madeleines turned out beautifully.
Delightful recipe! I used a normal madeleine pan and they turned out beautifully.
Excellent recipe! I made them in a traditional madeleine pan and they rose beautifully. Very soft and tender cakes.
The best madeleines I have tasted! I used a normal madeleine tin for this recipe, but now I want to buy the heart shaped one for Valentines Day next week. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks delicious 🙂 I will try it at weekend. Thanks for the nice recipe.
Hope you will enjoy this recipe!
Beautiful recipe. My cakes were nice and soft with a very nice texture. I baked them in a normal madeleine mold but I will try to find this heart shaped one.
Very easy. Very quick. I like that they aren’t overly sweet, but I would like a more chocolaty taste. I didn’t add any toppings. This is a keeper of a recipe.