Honey and rose water madeleines

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s choice of Claire Ptak to make their wedding cake has made her the baker of the moment, but since i got her book,The Violet Bakery Cookbook back in 2015 i have loved her recipes. This madeleine recipe is one of my favourites.

You will need a 12-cup madeleine mould to make these, and they are best eaten straight after baking.

MAKES

12

INGREDIENTS

• 100g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the mould

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp rose water

• 100g caster sugar

• 100-110g eggs (2 eggs)

• 100g plain flour, plus more for dusting the mould

• ¾ tsp baking powder

For the icing

• 2-3 tbsp rose syrup (I used Rose Brand Delicious Syrup from TG Kiat in Singapore, but you could use rose water and a little pink colouring, or just leave out the colouring)

• 200g icing sugar

METHOD

1. First, prepare your madeleine mould. Melt a good amount of butter and leave to cool slightly, then brush it in the mould and dust with flour. Place the mould in your freezer for 5-10 minutes. Then repeat the process. (This trick really works!) Keep the mould in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

2. Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3.

3.  In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, carefully melt the butter, then remove it from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

4. Add the honey to the butter to dissolve it, then add the rose water.

5. In another bowl, whisk together the caster sugar and eggs until smooth. Then whisk in the melted butter and honey mixture.

6. In a third bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk this mixture into the egg and butter mixture until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared mould.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the madeleines have formed a peak and the tops spring back to the touch. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool in the mould while you make the icing.

8.  Whisk the rose syrup into the icing sugar until it is runny.

9. Turn the madeleines out of the mould and dip them in the icing. They are best eaten within the hour (you can make the madeleine mixture in advance and bake it just before you want to serve these).

#baking #handmade #ClairePtak