Last Sunday I had a craving for something chocolaty for dessert. I opened an advance copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Baking Bible (HMH, Oct. 28).
PW gave the book a starred review, calling it a "must-have gem.” I could see why. The pictures made me want to eat everything, but I settled on settled on her Chocolate Sweetheart Madeleines.
Although I like to eat madeleines, I had always been nervous about baking them. But the highlights for success section and the fact that measurements are given in volume and weight gave me the confidence to try. Plus there was finally a reason to buy a madeleine mold.
There were a few items I didn’t have on hand, like the heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate for the Ganache Glaze and superfine sugar for the madeleine batter. Unfortunately, I let another customer at Whole Foods convince me that superfine and powdered sugar are the same. They’re not, and powdered sugar has cornstarch added to it. Good thing I went online to double check before I added it to the batter.
To make my own superfine sugar I pulled out a blender and pulsed the same amount of granulated sugar briefly. Then I remeasured the sugar and added it to the batter.
When the batter was finished I didn’t have a pastry bag or tube to pipe it into the mold. Following Beranbaum’s suggestion, I used a freezer bag. It was a little messy but it worked.
It was only after I had cooked and cooled the madeleines and gotten them ready to ice that I noticed the air bubbles. Too late I remembered Beranbaum’s tip about brushing off the excess baking spray.
My husband declared them “delicious,” air bubbles and all. They were sweet, but not too sweet, and the moistest madeleines I’ve ever eaten. The ganache made them shiny and added another layer of flavor.
Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Sweetheart Madeleines
Ganache Glaze
1.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 60% to 62% cacao, chopped
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons heavy cream
In a small food processor, process the chocolate until very fine.
In a 1 cup microwavable measure with a spout (or in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often), scald the cream (heat it to the boiling point; small bubbles will form around the periphery). With the motor of the food processor running, pour the cream through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds until smooth. Scrape the ganache into a glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place.
Batter
1/4 cup plus two teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup bleached cake flower, plus 1/2 tablespoon
1/2 cup superfine sugar
3/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa, sour cream, egg, and vanilla just until the consistency of slightly lumpy muffin batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half of the cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the flour mixture is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer off between additions, add the remaining cocoa mixture in two parts, starting on medium-low speed and gradually raising the speed to medium. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Fill a pastry bag or freezer bag about three-quarters full with the batter. Pipe the batter into a madeleine molds' cavities, filling them about half full (4 grams in each mini mold cavity, or 16 grams in each large mold cavity).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (14 to 15 for large ones), or until the madeleines spring back when pressed lightly in the centers.
Set the baking sheets on wire racks and let the madeleines cool in the molds for five minutes. Invert the madeleines onto a flat baking sheet lined with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.
If necessary, reheat the ganache with three second bursts in the microwave or in a hot water bath. With an artists brush, coat the tops of the madeleines with the glaze, brushing lengthwise along the grooves. As the glaze sets, it will darken and some of it will be absorbed. Brush a second, lighter coat of glaze to make it even and shiny.
Adapted from The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
