Dark Chocolate Madeleine Recipe

Delicate Dark Chocolate Madeleines are small sponge cakes that take the shape of a shell. This chocolate version of French madeleines is rich, fluffy, and perfectly served with a cup of tea or coffee.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine French

Keyword dark chocolate, easy, one bowl

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 12

Chill Time 30

Servings madeleines

Calories 107kcal

Author Samantha Pickthall

Equipment

12 hole non-stick madeleine pan
Pastry brush

Ingredients

1 cup plain all purpose flour scoop & leveled
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp dutch process cocoa powder plus 1/2 tablespoon extra to flour the pan
1/2 tsp powdered instant coffee
3 large eggs, at room temperature (each weighing approx. 55g-60g in shell)
2/3 cup golden or white granulated sugar
110 g unsalted butter melted & cooled for 10min, plus 1 melted tablespoon extra to grease the pan
100 g plain dark chocolate block melted & cooled for 10 minutes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Batter

First, make sure to melt the butter and chocolate and set them aside to cool down slightly. They must not be hot, only warm when adding them in step 6.
In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cocoa, and coffee. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add room temperature eggs and sugar. Using a whisk (not an electric whisk), whisk together vigorously for 2 minutes until pale and thick.
Add half the flour/cocoa mixture to the whisked eggs. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined.
Add remaining flour/cocoa mixture and fold until incorporated and no lumps of flour remain. Ensuring not to over-mix as you don’t want to deflate the whisked eggs and lose air.
Pour in cooled melted butter and melted chocolate. Gently fold and mix until incorporated, ensuring not to over-mix. It will be a thick fudgy batter.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180ºC fan-forced (356ºF fan-forced) to heat up whilst the batter chills.

Prepare Madeleine Pan

To prepare madeleine pan: Take a pastry brush and 1 tablespoon of extra melted butter and brush a light layer into each madeleine mold. Ensure no excess butter “pools” in the molds.
Add the extra 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa powder into a fine-mesh sieve or small mesh tea ball (refer to above process images).
Lightly dust a layer of cocoa into each madeleine mold.
Tap out the excess cocoa into the kitchen sink by turning it over and tapping the sides of the pan a few times to remove excess powder.

Fill the molds

Remove batter from the refrigerator.
Spoon one level tablespoon of batter into the middle of each madeleine mold. Leaving the batter untouched, it will spread out into the wells during baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until madeleines spring back when lightly pressed in the middle and they have a small dome in the middle.
Remove and cool in pan for 2 minutes.
Carefully remove each madeleine using your hands as they should slip right out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust over a little cocoa powder if desired whilst they’re cooling.
To bake the remaining batter, wait until the madeleine pan has cooled down to room temperature.
Fill the molds with the batter repeating the above method, there is no need to grease or dust the pan again as there will be excess butter and cocoa remaining.
TIP: if your madeleine pan is not non-stick, I would recommend greasing and dusting it again for your next batch.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

The melted butter and melted chocolate must not be hot when adding them into the mixture. I suggest you melt them first before starting the recipe so they have enough time to become warm. On the flip side, ensure they don't start to firm up again.

Ensure your eggs are at room temperature before starting the recipe. If the eggs are too cold, they will not aerate and emulsify with the sugar properly.

Fold the flour mixture gently into the whisked eggs. You do not want to deflate them and lose that air you just incorporated into eggs.

Don’t over-mix the batter after pouring in the melted butter and chocolate, only until it’s incorporated. The consistency will be fudgy and thick. Over-mixing will result in dense madeleines.

Store madeleines in an airtight container, in a dry dark pantry, for 2-3 days. Best enjoyed freshly baked as they dry out over the next few days.

Freeze madeleines by wrapping each individually in either parchment paper or foil. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to one month.

Thaw madeleines by sitting them on the kitchen counter to completely thaw. You can warm them up again in a moderate oven or microwave until warmed through.

Nutrition