These delicious Spiced Orange Madeleines have a light, tender texture, with a gentle aroma and flavour of orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These little shell-shaped cakes are gloriously elegant, not surprising, due to their French origins. They are ideal for morning or afternoon tea or served as dessert with our No-Churn Orange Ice Cream.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- They are easy to make, and all the ingredients are readily available, or you may already have them on hand.
- The combination of warm spices and orange perfectly complement each other.
- As they bake, their aroma fills the air, evoking warmth, and cosiness.
- They are versatile, so you will find many occasions to enjoy them.
- Despite their elegant, slightly fancy appearance, these little Spiced Orange Madeleines are easily made from simple, everyday ingredients and I am sure that you will love their light texture and their not-too-sweet flavour.
Recipe Inspiration: inspired by my Gluten-Free Lemon Madeleines, and the delicious combination of orange and spices. These are the kind of baked goods that make your kitchen smell incredible!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter in baking, so I am able to control the amount of salt.
- Eggs – the eggs are large, ideally free range.
- Caster/superfine sugar – is easier to dissolve and mixes more readily.
- Orange zest – when removing the zest, avoid the bitter white pith. Ideally, use an unwaxed orange, but if not, wash thoroughly.
- Plain/all-purpose flour - this flour is suitable for general use. It does not contain a raising agent. Use gluten-free if necessary.
- Baking powder – a raising agent, not to be confused with baking soda.
- Spices – I used ground cinnamon and nutmeg. For the best flavour, use fresh spices. If you have had your spices for a long time, they will have lost some of their flavour.
- Sea salt – the addition of a small amount of salt is a flavour enhancer in baked goods. Use coarse kitchen/cooking salt, not table salt.
- Icing/powdered sugar – for dusting the madeleines.
Variations:
Spice – use a spice combination of your choice, such as ground ginger and cloves, or our Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix or a commercial variety.
Orange zest – substitute with lemon zest.
Gluten-free - follow our Gluten-Free Lemon Madelines recipe. You can use the orange and spices still, but it follows a slightly different method.
How To Make These Orange Madeleines:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Combine your dry ingredients:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
2 – Combine your wet ingredients:
In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, and orange zest. Beat using electric hand-held beaters for five minutes, until pale and creamy.
3 – Add your dry ingredients to the wet:
To the bowl with the wet ingredients, sift in the flour and spices and whisk briefly, just until the flour is combined.
4 – Fold through the butter:
Gently fold through the melted butter.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
5 – Prepare your tins:
20 minutes before you are ready to bake, prepare your tins by brushing with the just melted butter and lightly dusting each mould with flour. Tap away the excess. Place the prepared trays in the fridge.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the trays.
Place the trays into the preheated oven - details in the recipe card - and bake for 8-10 minutes or until a slight “hump” has appeared and they are cooked through.
6 – Dust with icing sugar and enjoy:
Allow to rest for 1 minute before tapping the trays out onto a clean tea towel.
Serve with a dusting of icing sugar.
Hint: these delicious Orange Madeleines are best enjoyed the day they are made, ideally while they are still slightly warm.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
It really is important to use the appropriate, shell-shaped baking pans for this recipe. They add an elegant touch to this little, plain cake. If you have just one tin, re-butter and flour the tin for the second baking.
They are at their best eaten on the day they are made, ideally while still warm from the oven. In fact, some French bakeries make them to order and serve them warm as that is when they are most enjoyable. However, they are still lovely for up to three days, stored in an airtight container. To freshen them, you could heat them slightly in a 180 degrees C (355 F) oven for about 4 -5 minutes.
They can, but they tend to dry out. As such, this isn't ideal. If you do decide to freeze them, wrap them well and store them in an air tight container for the best results.
Firstly, by thoroughly preparing the tins for baking. The little shell shapes need to be thoroughly greased with butter that is almost melted. A pastry brush is the best way to do this. Then, give them a light dusting of flour and bang the tin on the bench to remove any excess. Also, when baked, leave them in the tins for about a minute; they are easier to remove while still warm; and that is the best time to eat them!
Technically, they are small cakes, although they are often referred to as cookies.
Top Tip:
For the ingredients to properly amalgamate, it is important that they be at room temperature.
Also, it is essential that the baking tins be thoroughly prepared. Follow our tips in the recipe card to ensure success.
Serving Suggestions:
You will find many ways to enjoy these elegant little French tea cakes. Some suggestions are:
- They are ideal for morning or afternoon tea.
- Serve them for any occasion or celebration, be it Mother’s Day, a baby shower or engagement party. They are always popular.
- The spices give them a festive air, so they are ideal to include at a Christmas celebration.
- They are the perfect after-dinner sweet treat when served with coffee.
- Also, serve them for dessert alongside our Brandied Oranges or Caramelised Yoghurt Cream.
The fragrance of these lovely Orange Madeleines as they are baking will fill your home. It is warm and alluring, attracting all nearby. But don’t worry, after removing them from the oven you can enjoy them almost immediately as they are at their best while still warm. I do hope you enjoy these beautiful Spiced Orange Madeleines!
Alex xx
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Spiced Orange Madeleines
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Preparation of Baking Tins:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter - melted See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour
For the Orange Madeleines:
- 90 g (⅓ cup + 2 tsp) unsalted butter - melted and set aside to cool slightly
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- 115 g (½ cup) caster/superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoon orange zest - finely grated See Note 2
- 90 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) plain/all-purpose flour See Note 3
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon See Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- icing/powdered sugar - for dusting
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar and orange zest. Beat using electric hand beaters for five minutes, until pale and creamy.
- Sift in your flour and spices to the bowl with the eggs and whisk very briefly, just until the flour is combined.Gently fold through the melted butter.Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- 20-30 minutes before you are ready to bake, prepare your tins by brushing with the melted butter and lightly dusting each mould with flour. Tap away the excess. Place the prepared trays in the fridge.
- Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C. (430 F)
- Spoon the mixture into the trays – you’ll want approximately 1 tablespoon per cavity.
- Place the trays into the preheated oven and immediately drop the temperature down to 180 degrees C (355 F).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a slight “hump” has appeared and they are cooked through.
- Allow to rest in the trays for 1 minute.Set a clean tea towel on your bench and remove the madeleines by sharply rapping the edge of the tray on the bench. They should easily fallout. Serve warm with a dusting of icing/powdered sugar, or place them on a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Notes
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Orange zest: when zesting the orange, avoid the white pith as it is bitter.
- Spices: ensure they are fresh and in date, as they lose a lot of flavour as they age.
- Weight measurements: for the most accurate results when baking, we recommend weighing your ingredients using a kitchen scale.
- Make Gluten-Free: madeleines are delicious and simple to make gluten-free. I recommend you follow our Gluten-Free Lemon Madeleines recipe, as it uses a slightly different technique (it's actually even easier!)
- Storage: they are at their best eaten on the day they are made, ideally while still warm from the oven. However, they are still lovely for up to three days, stored in an airtight container. To freshen them, you could heat them slightly in a 180 degrees C (355 F) oven for about 4 -5 minutes.
- Freezing: not ideal, as it does tend to dry them out. If you do wish to freeze them, wrap them well and store in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn. Freeze for up to two months.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This post was originally published in September 2020. It has been updated with more information and new photos. Minor improvements have been made to the recipe. This recipe was originally published as gluten-free. If you are after a delicious gluten-free option, try our Lemon Madeleines.
Elizabeth says
This is such a wonderful recipe - the madeleines are so delicious and light. You would never know they were gluten free. I am going to try your lemon recipe next!
Alexandra says
Hello Elizabeth, thank you so much for your fantastic comments regarding the Madeleines. I do appreciate that you took the time to let me know how much you enjoyed them. 🙂
Priya says
Absolutely delicious.
Alexandra says
Thank you!