Popular in the early 19th century, pastry chefs Hyo Ju Park and Rong Yao Soh have made the bite-sized cake super popular again in Melbourne at their bakery Madeleine de Proust.
‘‘We use the madeleine as our canvas. We play with flavours, textures and fillings, giving this humble pastry a new story in every bite. For us, each madeleine isn’t just a treat - it’s a way to surprise, comfort and connect.’’
The name for the bakery came from a famous scene in Marcel Proust’s novel In Search of Lost Time when the main character dips a madeleine in his tea and with one bite childhood memories come flooding back.
Park, who is from Korea, and Soh, from Malaysia, met in 2016 while studying culinary management in London, but parted ways to follow their careers before meeting again in Melbourne where they decided to do a joint venture - a single product concept, focused but fun. A lot of brainstorming later they came up with Madeleine de Proust.
It brought back memories for Park who made her first madeleine aged 14 in an after-school baking class.
Soh, who arrived in Australia a month before Covid lockdowns started, began seriously experimenting with pastry during lockdown. One of the moulds he had brought with him from Japan was a chiyoda madeleine tray, a tin-plated mould with a silicone coating.
‘‘The first time we baked with it we instantly fell in love. The smell, texture, the taste and that exact moment when the tray came out of the oven - it was simple but unforgettable. The madeleines tasted as if butter and cloud had a baby.’’
They started with a pop-up and rented kitchens before finding a home in a little shop in Lygon St where people often queue up around the block for their treats.
Their book Madeleines has options for the beginner to the more experienced and while each has a recommendation for the tin to make them in - such as the Korean woojung carbon steel mould with a non-stick coating - they can be made in any mould.
They also use cake flour, a low-protein flour 7.8%, in their recipes which is not widely available in New Zealand. They advise to replace 10% of regular flour (not high-grade flour as it is a high-protein flour 11%-14%) with cornflour to get the closest result to cake flour.
The book
This is an edited extract from Madeleines by Hyoju Park and Rong Yao Soh, published by Quadrille. Photography by Michael Gardenia.
Hot cross madeleines
We wanted to capture everything we love about a hot cross bun in madeleine form. These are glazed with cinnamon, toasted and finished with salted butter so the spices bloom and the butter melts in. Warm, sweet and fragrant, they have all the comfort of the classic bun but with a lighter, tender crumb. Start the night before.
Makes 12
Mould Woojung / Chiyoda Madeleine 22mm deep
Fruit mix (soak 1 day ahead)
30g raisins
30g confit orange peel
Equal quantities of Grand Marnier and spiced rum, just enough to submerge
Hot cross spice mix (by weight)
10g (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
5g (½ tsp) part ground cloves
5g (½ tsp) ground allspice
Cinnamon glaze
85g icing (confectioners’) sugar
25ml water
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Hot cross madeleine batter
120g cake flour
5g (½ tsp) baking powder
7g hot cross spice mix
3g (1 tsp) grated orange zest
Pinch of sea salt
100g unsalted butter
7ml milk
80g whole eggs, strained
75g caster sugar
10g (3 tsp) honey
Cross icing
150g icing (confectioners’) sugar
20ml water
Method
To soak the fruit: Combine the raisins and confit orange peel in a small container.
Add a 1:1 ratio of Grand Marnier and spiced rum just enough to submerge.
Cover and soak overnight.
Drain the raisins well before use.
Hot cross spice mix: Mix together the cinnamon, cloves and allspice in the given proportions. Store in an airtight container.
Cinnamon glaze: Sift the icing sugar and ground cinnamon into a bowl. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Hot cross madeleines: Preheat the oven to 210°C fan and prepare your mould.
Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt, then set aside.
Melt the butter and milk together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, keeping the temperature at 40°C .
Warm the eggs, sugar and honey to 30°C.
Mix the dry ingredients gently into the egg mixture, then mix in the butter one-third at a time.
Pipe into the moulds, then scatter the soaked fruit mix on top.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for 10-13 minutes until risen and set.
Remove from the oven, unmould and leave to cool slightly.
Cross icing: Combine the icing sugar and water and whisk until smooth and pipeable.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a flat nozzle. Cover half the nozzle with tape to create a thinner line.
If you want to enjoy them fresh:
Brush with cinnamon glaze. Let cool completely.
Pipe a cross over each madeleine using the prepared icing. Let the icing set at room temperature.
If you want to toast and butter them:
Skip the glazing part. Slice the madeleines in half, toast lightly, and spread with butter for extra comfort.
Carrot cake madeleines
I tasted my first carrot cake just after my induction day at university, in a little cafe called Farm W5 next to campus.
Everything felt new - new country, new school, a sense of curiosity and adventure.
Carrot cake had always seemed mysterious to me, but that first bite, spiced, soft and creamy, fit perfectly with the feeling of starting fresh. Now, whenever I make this, I’m reminded of that moment.
Makes 12
Mould Woojung / Chiyoda Madeleine 22mm deep
Caramelised carrot
150g carrot, grated
10g-15g (½ tsp) grapeseed oil
Cream cheese buttercream
75g cream cheese
75g Swiss buttercream
4g (scant tsp) grated lemon zest
Carrot cake madeleine batter
135g cake flour
5g (1 tsp) baking powder
3g (¾ tsp) ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
115g unsalted butter
7ml milk
95ml whole eggs, strained
85g caster (superfine) sugar
10g honey
65g caramelised carrot (from above)
10g toasted desiccated coconut
Cinnamon glaze
65g icing (confectioners’) sugar
15ml water
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Walnut crunch
75g caramelised white chocolate or white chocolate
50g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
25g rice puffs, roughly crushed
For decoration (optional)
Edible rose gold powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 210°C fan. Prepare your madeleine mould
Caramelised carrot: In a pan, cook the grated carrot with the grapeseed oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely.
Cream cheese buttercream: Soften the cream cheese in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add Swiss buttercream and lemon zest, then whip until fluffy. Set aside in a piping bag.
Carrot cake madeleine batter
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
Melt butter and milk together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, keeping temperature at 40°C
Warm eggs, sugar and honey to 30°C .
Mix dry ingredients gently into the egg mixture, then mix in the butter one-third at a time. Fold in caramelised carrot and toasted coconut.
Pipe into the moulds, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for 10-13 minutes until risen and set.
Unmould and leave to cool.
Cinnamon glaze: Mix icing sugar, water and cinnamon until smooth. Set aside.
At this point, you can finish your madeleines in two ways:
Keep it simple
Core the back (hump side) of each cooled madeleine and fill with cream cheese buttercream, then close the lid. Glaze with cinnamon glaze and let dry.
Feeling confident? Try this:
Walnut crunch: Melt chocolate to 40°C-45°C, add chopped walnuts and rice puffs, mix well and keep warm. If it hardens, simply microwave briefly.
To fill and finish
Core the front (shell side) of each cooled madeleine and fill with cream cheese buttercream. Freeze for 1 hour.
Spread the warm walnut rice crunch in the clean madeleine mould, and lightly press in the filled madeleine. Let set in the freezer for 30 minutes, covered lightly with cling film.
Unmould and brush with rose gold powder using a soft brush, if using.
Chocolate madeleines
Everyone has a chocolate treat that takes them back. Whether it’s sneaking pieces from the pantry or sharing sweets with friends, chocolate has a way of making memories. This madeleine is rich in cocoa, with a gentle balance of softness and just a touch of grown- up depth.
Makes 8
Mould Chiyoda cacao pod
Simple syrup
25g caster (superfine) sugar
25g water
Chocolate madeleine batter
98g cake flour
10g cocoa powder
3g baking powder
pinch of sea salt
68g unsalted butter
4g milk
55g whole eggs, strained
52g caster (superfine) sugar
7g honey
Chocolate glaze
85g icing (confectioner’s) sugar
7g cocoa powder
25g water
For decoration
edible gold powder
Method
Simple syrup
Combine the sugar and water in a small pan. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and leave to cool.
Chocolate madeleines
Preheat the oven to 210°C fan and prepare your mould.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter and milk together over a pan of simmering water, keeping the temperature at 40°C.
Warm the eggs, sugar and honey to 30°C.
Mix the dry ingredients gently into the egg mixture, then mix in the butter one-third at a time.
Pipe into the moulds, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for 10 to 13 minutes until risen and set.
Once baked, brush the madeleines with simple syrup while still warm.
Chocolate glaze
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together into a bowl. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Use immediately or press cling film (plastic wrap) on to the surface to prevent drying out.
To finish
Once the madeleines are fully cooled, brush a thin layer of glaze over the surface. Allow to set at room temperature before serving. Add gold powder, if using.
