Matcha Madeleines

i think most people would know by now that i really am a macha fanatic. i've pledged my undying love for it a million times and i just can't live without my daily strong dose of homemade macha latte, made possible with the immersion handheld blender. and while i love complex french/japanese gateaux and entremets, i adore simple french tea cakes like madeleines, financiers and caneles as well. at times when i just wanna make something simple, i usually go for madeleines and financiers instead of pound cakes, muffins or brownies. plus, my sweet friend claire gave me a really big pack of macha powder, so i just wanted to try it out :)

and whats a madeleine without its characteristic bump? i didn't think it matters until i started aiming for perfection in my bakes. perfection to me means the asthethics, baking method & final results should adhere to its given characteristics, for eg. feet in macarons or that financiers should be made using the beurre noisette (browned butter) method. anything else just won't do. yes, i'm THAT fussy now. also, i've seen some madeleine recipes that don't require refrigerating of the batter. to me, those aren't madeleines, they're simply cakes baked in shell-shaped tins. obviously you wouldn't get the characteristic bump so i steer clear from recipes like that.

to be frank, i was kinda scarred after the pancake episode. now whenever i mix in a cake batter, i keep asking myself whether i've overmixed or not. in this case, i mixed the madeleine batter really thoroughly but still they came out light & fluffy, so apparently it doesn't really matter. and i should probably stick to what i'm good at in future - baking, and not cooking something over the stove.

ingredients (makes 15) :

160g butter, melted

120g cake flour

130g sugar

4.5g (abt 1 heaped tsp) double acting baking powder

3 eggs

3 tsps macha powder or to taste

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions :

1. in a bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder & macha powder.

2. in another bowl, whisk sugar & eggs until pale & fluffy. add in vanilla bean paste or extract & mix well.

3. fold flour mixture thoroughly into the egg mixture followed by the melted butter.

4. cover with cling film and refrigerate at least 3 hrs or overnight.

5. fill mixture in madeleine mold until almost to the rim. bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 10-13 mins until puffed & golden or a skewer inserted into the middle of the madeleine comes out clean.