Madeleine

Madeleines are a small traditional cake from the communities of Liverdun and Commercy, in northeastern France. These traditional cakes are very small sponge cakes shaped like a shell, baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. The type of cake batter to make madeleines is called genoise cake. The flavor is somewhat lighter and is similar to sponge cake. While they are considered a cake in France, many non-french consider them to be more of a cookie. Original recipes include ground nuts, usually almonds. After they are cooked, the cakes sometimes have a jam coating around them. Common flavors are coconut and lemon.

There are a number of variations to the story surrounding the origin of the madeleine. One of the most well known is the story of Madeleine Paulmier, a pastry chef for King of Poland Stanislas Leszczynska. The King sent these cakes to his daughter as a gift when she married Louis XV. It’s said that she and Louis XV then named these after her father’s cook, Madeleine Paulimer. Madeleines were introduced to the court in Versailles, and everywhere around France people loved them.