Starbucks madeleine recipe (best French cakes)

This Starbucks madeleine recipe is simple to recreate at home. This cake-like cookie is made with basic ingredients like flour, butter, and eggs, with a touch of lemon zest and a sweet vanilla flavor.

I am delighted to share this Madeleine recipe with you all after several trials and tests.

Don't worry if you're a beginner. I've provided step-by-step directions and photographs to ensure that you understand everything. 

Furthermore, I have attached a video to ensure perfect comprehension.

What is Madeleine?

Madeleines are basically small butter cakes, commonly known as French cakes. However, due to its size and shape, some refer to it as a cookie. I would describe it as a hybrid of these two treats, denser than a typical cake but lighter than a cookie.

Whether you call them cookies or cakes, these two are my absolute favorites since they pair perfectly with my favorite Starbucks drink. I adore them with my favorite vanilla iced coffee from Starbucks.

If you enjoy Starbucks goodies, I recommend my Starbucks chocolate cake pop.

What is so special about this copycat Starbucks Madeleine recipe?

1. Light and airy with melts in mouth feel.
2. Beautiful hump we look for in madeleine cookies.
3. Tastes way better than the Starbucks.
4. Simple recipe, easy to make, even for beginners. 
5. No chilling required. 
6. Ready in under 30 minutes.

How to make a Starbucks Madeleine cakes recipe - overview?

Before we go into the exact recipe, let us first understand how to make madeleines.

Sr. No.	Steps
1.	Mix egg, vanilla, sugar.
2.	Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt) and fold.
3.	Mix butter, mix
4.	Bake and serve.

Starbucks madeleine recipe ingredients

Here is a lit of ingredients needed to make madeleines. Please see the full recipe at the bottom of this post. 

• Butter - This  is essential for making luscious, buttery madeleines. This provides moisture in the form of fat, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Use unsalted butter that has melted and cooled. If you only have salted butter in the pantry, use that. Skip the salt in that scenario.
• Eggs - Use large, free-range eggs. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature, as cold eggs will not achieve the desired whipping consistency.
• Sugar -  This provides sweetness and moisture. I use a little more sugar than a standard or classic Madeleine recipe to achieve a brown color and crispy edges. Don't reduce the quantity.
• All-purpose flour -  adds structure to the dish. I don't advocate substituting cake flour or self-rising flour. Stick with the standard all-purpose flour.
• Vanilla extract  - This lends a lovely scent to your little cakes. If you've seen my other dessert recipes, you'll know how much I enjoy adding vanilla to them; it just elevates your dish to the next level. Many recipes do not include this because it is not a typical madeleine ingredient, but I enjoy adding it.
• Lemon zest - Add lemon zest to improve the flavor. However, this is entirely optional.

Any substitute?

• Sugar - To replace sugar, use an exact amount of sugar-free replacement.
• Dairy-free  - It includes using plant-based butter, however eggs cannot be replaced.
• Lemon zest - If lemon zest is not available, use an equal amount of orange zest instead. It's completely fine. If you don't have it, it's okay to skip it entirely.

Tools needed

1. Measuring spoons - for measuring ingredients.
2. Measuring cups - also for measuring ingredients.
3. Weighing scale - to precisely measure ingredients.
4. Mixing bowls - to make madeleine batter.
5. Madeleines pan - a special pan to make madeleines. This is the pan I use.

Starbucks madeleine (step-by-step) recipe

Here is my step-by-step recipe for making madeleines at home. This recipe is slightly different than my traditional French Madeleine recipe as this doesn't require you to beat eggs and sugar until it reaches the famous ribbon consistency. Let's understand how it is different. 

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Using a pastry brush, spread butter into the madeleine pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a hand beater until everything is well blended. If you're using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. To be honest, I would prefer to use a hand beater because I am preparing a little batch.

3. Sift one-third of the flour into the egg mixture and whisk gently until barely incorporated.

4. Repeat until the flour is gone.

5. Add the melted and cooled butter and lemon zest to the cake batter.

6. Fold gently until it is incorporated into the batter.

7. Using a cookie scoop, transfer a spoonful of batter to a madeleines pan.

8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius for 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown from the sides. The madeleines are ready when the tops spring back when pressed with your finger.

9. Remove from the oven, then take them out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool somewhat.

10. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

11. Serve immediately away and enjoy.

How to serve?

You can serve the madeleines when they are fresh and just out of the oven. Here are some of my recommendations 

1. Warm and fresh - Serve them when they are warm, just out of the oven and fresh.
2. As a snack - A perfect snack for kids tiffin.
3. With tea or coffee - pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee or tea.
4. With chocolate - Dip one side of it in melted chocolate and serve when cooled down.
5. Dust with powdered sugar- just the way I did above.

Watch me making (video)

https://youtu.be/yrggHwDsLlo

Storing and freezing instructions for Starbucks madeleine recipe

Madeleines are best served fresh, but if you have any leftover madeleines, you may refrigerate or freeze them to enjoy them later. This is how you do it:

Storing  Madeleines

Room Temperature (for 1-2 days)

Once totally cooled, refrigerate them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out. Keep them in a cool, dry area out of direct sunlight.

Refrigeration (for up to 1 week)

Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate to keep them fresh for longer. Before serving, reheat them slightly in the oven to recover their soft texture.

Freezing madeleines

Freezing (for up to 2 months)

Allow baked madeleines to cool completely before freezing. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. This will keep them from sticking together. Once frozen, place the madeleines in a Ziplock, freezer-safe bag, or airtight container. Make sure that you remove as much air as possible.

Thawing and reheating

When you're ready to eat them, simply defrost the madeleines at room temperature for about 30 minutes. To soften, place them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5-7 minutes, or until warm. You can also microwave them for 10-15 minutes.

In short,

Sr. No.	Storage Type	Days/Weeks/Months
1.	Room temperature	1 to 2 days
2.	Refrigerator	up to 1 week
3.	Freezer	up to 2 months

Secret tips to make the best Starbucks madeleine recipe

• Prepare the pan with butter - To prepare the pan, use butter and flour or parchment paper, as shown in previous cake recipes. However, for these little cake-like cookies, I recommend covering the pan solely with butter. This will give our Starbucks madeleines a crunchy edge. In addition to the method described above, I used nonstick spray and butter flour. In my perspective, the butter approach worked extremely well, and I've been using it for years.
• Room temperature ingredients - Usually, the butter and eggs must be at room temperature. We don't have to worry about it since we're using melted and cooled butter. Make sure to remove the eggs at least an hour beforehand. If you forget to take them out, simply place them in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes and they will be ready to use.
• Don't bake too long -If you bake madeleines for too long, they will become hard and dry. After 8 minutes, keep an eye on them and remove them as soon as the edges get golden.

FAQ's

Can I use any other pan to make madeleines? Yes. You can use a mini muffin pan or mini cheesecake pan to make this sweet cake-like cookie. Just so you know, the baking time will vary based on the pan you use and their edges will not be as crispy.

Why are my madeleines dry? Even if you bake them for a minute or two more Or if you keep them exposed to air, they will become dry. So, bake for just enough and store them in an airtight container.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below and I will be happy to answer them :).

Want to try some other Starbucks recipes?

1. Starbucks dairy-free hot chocolate.
2. Vanilla iced latte from Starbucks. 
3. Starbucks chocolate cake pops.

What are you waiting for?

Save a trip to your local Starbucks and make these petit French cakes at home. Let me know how it turned out for you in the comments below. I would love to hear it from you and your feedback matters to me a lot.

Do not forget to tag me @dessertkatta or use the hashtag #dessertkatta or #dessertkattarecipes if you post your creations on Instagram.

Until next time, happy baking, and keep smiling 😃. 

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