Pineapple Coconut Madeleines

Last Updated May 21st, 2023 at 11:49 pm by Lisa

Classic French madeleines are small signature shell shaped butter cakes that are absolutely delightful. Pack them for picnics, in school lunch boxes, or enjoy them as snacks with a cup of tea or coffee.

Sometimes madeleines have additions like fruit or nuts. These have fresh pineapple pieces and sweet coconut to create a nice crumb and incredible tropical flavors. There are also top baking tips and detailed instructions to make these famous French tea cakes classic just like the bakeries in France...🍍🥥🌴

French Madeleine Recipe

According to French chefs, perfect madeleines have the signature bump from their sponge-like batter that puff up in the shell-shaped depressions of the pan and a slight golden color. For the best madeleine recipe, you need a simple génoise cake batter.

The flavor of authentic French Madeleine recipes are similar to but somewhat lighter than a sponge cake. All the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store. Traditional recipes typically include very finely ground nuts, usually almonds in these tender mini butter cakes.

Madeleine Ingredients

• melted butter (pan preparation)
• flour (pan preparation)
• sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• finely chopped fresh pineapple (optional)
• large eggs, room temperature
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract (or swap in lemon, orange, or almond extract!)
• unsalted or salted butter (melted)
• all-purpose flour
• cornstarch
• baking powder
• sea salt

PRO TIP: Use room-temperature eggs, they triple in volume when beaten, cold eggs don't. If you forget, submerge whole eggs in warm water for 10 minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

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Preparing The Pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter over medium heat (stovetop or microwave) and set aside.
2. Lightly brush melted butter into your madeleine pan covering all the parts of the shell, and flour the madeleine pans covering all the shells. Tap the excess flour out of the pan onto a piece of parchment paper for faster cleanup.

PRO TIP: For better results, when you reuse your pan for more batches, you will want to wash, dry, and rebutter/flour your pan, or the madeleines will stick, even in a non-stick pan.

Making Madeleine Batter

PRO TIP: Why sift ingredients? It puts air into the mixture and prevents lumps!

1. Finely chop both the pineapple and coconut and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using an electric hand mixer in a large bowl, place eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat on medium to high speed for 8-9 minutes.
3. After beating, the egg mixture and sugar will be pale and fluffy-smooth. Watch for the ribbon stage. When the beater is raised, a thick ribbon of madeleine batter will slowly fall back into the bowl.
4. Next, add ½ cup melted cooled butter and blend in for 1 minute, turn off the mixer. We will do the rest by hand!
5. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and gently fold ½ of the flour mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula. (see notes below on a good folding technique) Add the rest of the flour mixture and fold in carefully.
6. Stir in the finely chopped pineapple and coconut. This is optional, you can certainly leave one or both out, or add chopped nuts, cocoa powder, etc.
7. The batter will be thick and sticky.

Filling Madeleine Pans & Baking

Pastry Piping Bags: Some recipes call for a pastry bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut off. However, I find that deflates the batter and is so much more work and clean up.

PRO TIP: Why Fold? Don't stir (which will deflate the batter). Instead, place a rubber spatula into the bowl's center. Cut through to the edge, lift, and turn the batter over flour gently. Give the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until flour is mixed into the batter.

1. Just fold the batter until the pineapple and coconut are incorporated. Grab your prepared madeleine pan and spoons or scoop.
2. Fill each shell, ¾ full with batter using two regular spoons. The batter will be thick and sticky. Spoons work great! You can also use a small 1" ice cream or cookie scoop. Don't spread the batter, just place it into the pan. This helps keep the air in the batter for lighter fluffy shell-shaped cakes with bigger humps. The main key is to NOT overfill the mold!
3. The batter will fill and puff up in baking, don't worry that it doesn't fill the shells yet.
4. Place on the center rack of a preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes. This can vary according to the oven itself (gas or electric), and the type of pan you use.
5. To unmold, simply tap the back of the madeleine pan, and they will pop right out. If any stick, use the edge of a small rubber spatula to release them out of the pan.

Correctly Baked Madeleines

Madeleines are done when they puff up, have the signature hump, spring back when pressed slightly, with slightly golden brown edges. They will have a visible bump on top, that means they are baked correctly!

Once baked, tap the madeleines out on a baking rack or piece of parchment paper and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Store leftover madeleines in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Madeleine Pan Tips

Buying Pans: These special pans are easily found online and at stores like HomeGoods, Williams-Sonoma, and Sur La Table. Other than the madeleine pan, no other fancy equipment is needed, however in a pinch, you can use a small size mini muffin pan and skip baking the traditional shell-shaped madeleines cakes.

You won't get the classic shell shapes, but that's okay if it's what you have on hand. There are also silicone molds for baking madeleines. I haven't tried those yet but people rave about how easy they are to use and that the French butter cakes with their classic madeleine hump, pop right out!

Pan Baking: You will want to wash, dry, butter, and flour your pan prior to baking each batch of Madeleine cookies, or they will stick. Be sure to knock out any excess flour. Or you can spray with coconut oil non-stick spray.

I used a Nonstick-madeleine pan, it was about $25 from Sur La Table. Use a small pastry brush to get softened butter into every crevice of the scallop shells. It will prevent sticking and help achieve a golden color on the baked madeleines.

Different Flavors & Additions

• Flavor Variations: Add lemon zest, lime zest, or orange zest to your batter and a few drops of lemon, orange, or lime oil or extract. Almond extract is also really nice, and in France, ground almonds are commonly added.
• Chocolate Dipping: You can use this recipe then make melted chocolate in a small bowl heatproof bowl, and dip away or drizzle on top.
• Brown Butter: In a small saucepan, let the butter melt down and get really brown. This is one of the best ways to get a lot of flavor into your madeleines. This step isn't necessary but makes a big difference in the flavor!

History of Madeleines

Some sources say madeleines may have been named for a 19th-century pastry cook, Madeleine Paulmier, a cook in the 18th century for Stanisław Leszczyński, whose son-in-law, Louis XV of France, named after her.

The story goes that Louis XV called this tiny cake "Madeleine" for the first time in 1755 in honor of his father-in-law's cook Paulmier.

Louis XV's wife then introduced them to the Court of Versailles and they quickly became loved all over France. Marcel Proust, a well-known author, describes Madeleines as "a little shell of cake, so generously sensual beneath the piety of its stern pleating…"

Another Version of Madeleine History

The Larousse Gastronomique offers another version of the history of the Madeleine. This story says the madeleine name came from Jean Avice, the "master of choux pastry," who worked as a pastry chef for Prince Talleyrand. Avice is said to have invented Madeleines in the 19th century by baking little cakes in aspic molds. The small portions and pretty shapes meant the madeleines baked quickly and could be delivered right to the table without embellishment.

We will never know the true story of how madeleines came to be, but we do know these little cakes have been enjoyed for hundreds of years. And we will continue to love them for their simple pretty shell shape with a cup of coffee or tea.

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