Lemon Madeleines with Simple Lemon Glaze

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Lemon madeleines are the perfect mix of zesty and sweet, with a bright lemon glaze that takes these little French cakes to the next level.

Recipe At a Glance

Madeleines are small cakes baked in a madeleine pan, giving them their distinctive shell-like shape. Add a touch of lemon juice and zest to this French classic, and you’ll get delicious lemon madeleines. To enhance that lemony flavor, we finish them with a simple lemon glaze.

Madeleines are incredibly easy to make. With just a few pantry staples, you can have a fresh batch ready in less than 30 minutes. After they’ve cooled slightly, dip them in the glaze, and they’re ready to serve.

(Lemon financiers are another option if you’re looking for a lemony French pastry that’s easy to make.)

The straightforward ingredients and quick prep time make lemon madeleines perfect for a last-minute dessert or a light, zesty treat when craving something sweet.

Making lemon madeleines for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

Lemon Madeleines

• Egg.
• Sugar. Caster sugar (superfine) is best because it melts more easily in a room-temperature egg, but regular sugar should do, too.
• Honey. Honey makes these cakes moist and adds extra sweetness. If you don’t have honey on hand, substitute it with extra sugar.
• Salt.
• Unsalted butter.
• Cake flour. Cake flour is best for these, but regular all-purpose flour should do, too. The texture will be slightly different, but that’s not the end of the world.
• Vanilla extract. A splash of vanilla adds a bit of extra flavor. Optional, but recommended.
• Baking powder. Baking powder helps the madeleines rise and develop their signature hump. Some traditional recipes skip baking powder and rely only on temperature shock, but we’re not taking any chances—or waiting an hour or two before baking.
• Lemon. Choose a blemish-free one and organic if possible, as we’ll use both the juice and the zest. Juice and zest from half a lemon is enough for the recipe.

Simple Lemon Glaze

• Powdered sugar.
• Lemon juice.

How to Make Lemon Madeleines

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
2. Melt the butter. Melt the butter on the stove and set it aside to cool down.

3. Zest and juice the lemon. Wash the lemon thoroughly, then roll it on the countertop with firm pressure to help extract more juice. Zest the lemon (a microplane works great for this) and juice it. You’ll need the zest and juice of half a medium lemon.

4. Mix egg and sugar. In a bowl, combine the egg, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and honey. Mix until smooth.

5. Add lemon zest and two teaspoons of lemon juice. Mix until well combined.

6. Add dry ingredients. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then mix until fully incorporated.

7. Add the melted butter. Ensure the butter is warm but not hot before adding it. If it’s too hot, let it cool by placing the pot in cold water for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the warm butter into the bowl and stir until the batter is smooth.

8. Prepare the pan. Grease the madeleine molds with butter. I usually cut a small slice of butter and spread it with my finger. Make sure all surfaces are well-buttered. If your pan isn’t non-stick, dust it with all-purpose flour, then tap out any excess flour that doesn’t stick.

9. Pour the batter. Fill the molds about 3/4 full with the batter.
10. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and immediately lower the temperature to 360°F (180°C). Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the tops are set and the edges are golden brown. Keep an eye on them after the 8-minute mark when baking for the first time, adjusting the baking time based on how they look.

11. Cool. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the madeleines sit for a couple of minutes before releasing them from the pan. They should come out easily, but if needed, gently run a silicone spatula around the edges.
12. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and two teaspoons of lemon juice until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin or a bit more lemon juice if it’s too thick. Aim for a glaze that flows slowly but smoothly from the whisk.

13. Coat the madeleines. Once the madeleines are no longer hot, dip them in the glaze or brush them with a pastry brush. Let the glaze set for a couple of minutes.
14. Serve.

Tips

• Make the glaze while the madeleines bake. Making the glaze takes 5 minutes tops, so if you get to it right after placing the pan in the oven, you’ll be done before the mini cakes bake. If you don’t want a lemon-flavored glaze but something more neutral, check out my simple powdered sugar glaze piece.

Scaling the Recipe

Every madeleine pan is slightly different, so while this recipe makes 8 madeleines in my pan, it might make more or fewer in yours.

So, what if you want to make a specific number of cookies?

This recipe yields about 2/3 cup (or 10 tablespoons) of madeleine batter. To figure out how much batter you’ll need, pour 1/3 cup of water into your molds, filling each mold up to 3/4. The base recipe will give you double that amount in cookies.

If you need more, simply multiply the recipe accordingly. However, when scaling up, don’t scale the salt amount linearly. Increasing the salt in proportion to the other ingredients can result in overly salty cakes, so it’s better to scale it down slightly.

For example, if you’re doubling the batter, add about 50% more salt, and if you’re tripling it, add twice the amount of salt.

Storage

You can store lemon madeleines in a sealed container on the counter for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is sealed tightly so the cakes don’t dry out that quickly.

Other Recipes to Try

Want more madeleine recipes? Check out my orange madeleines recipe.

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