Little Madeleines

Cute Little Madeleines

After my baking challenge with Daring Bakers I found I had a little desiccated coconut left over. Now racking my brains of how to utilise a small amount of coconut then I thought of these cute little Madeleines. Now I know these gorgeous little cakes are baked in dariole moulds but unfortunately I haven’t any, so I had to adapt to baking my sponges in a large muffin tin. Perhaps they aren’t as elegantly tall as they should be and a little larger around the middle but they taste is just as good, says she who consumed the one cut in half in the photo!

You will laugh when I tell you that, I don’t know if the Madeleine’s had more jam and coconut on them or my fingers! Let’s just say, my fingers somehow resembled a hedgehog with bits of jam and spikes of desiccated coconut glued to them *giggle*......

Anyone for a cherry?

The sponge I found was light and airy with flavours from the raspberry conserve and coconut giving such delightful sweetness. I found it reminiscent of glorious past times when I would hurry home from school to see what mother had baked, eagerly eating without taking time to catch my breath, not wanting the pleasure of taste to ever end.

Now who's eaten the cherry?

Little Madeleines

Serves 8

Ingredients
100g (4oz) softened butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100g (4oz) self-raising flour
175g (6 oz) Raspberry seedless jam
50g (2 oz) desiccated coconut
8 glace cherries

I used a 12 hole deep muffin tin - well buttered, if you use dariole moulds it may make more or less.

Method

Preheat the oven 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and keep beating until the mixture is creamed well and light and fluffy. Add a little of the beaten egg at a time until all combined into the mixture. Gently fold the flour in with a large metal spoon until there are no traces of flour and all combined. Place the mixture equally into the prepared muffin tin using 8 of the muffin holes. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When they are fully cold using a segregated knife cut the tops of each cake to form a flat base.

In a saucepan add the raspberry jam and water and on a low heat on the stove bring to a smooth consistency and take off the heat. Place the desiccated coconut on a plate in an even layer. Dip the sponges top and sides in the warm jam and the roll in the coconut and stick a glace cherry on top of each little Madeleine.