I cook and I eat and I knit.   All 3 obsessively.  And I blog at Fuss Free Flavours.

I am delighted to be writing a guest recipe for p/hop, it is a well known fact that knitters like cake and what is better than individual chocolate cakes?

Madeleines are the traditional shell shaped French cakes, delicious and crispy on the outside, they are surprisingly easy to make.      If you do not have a Madeleine pan use a very well greased fairy cake tin.  I recently made a batch of these for a friend’s birthday so they seem an appropriate birthday post for p/hop.

Double Chocolate Madeleines (makes 18 small)

75g Butter – melted and cooled
2 Large Eggs
90g Granulated Sugar
90g Plain Flour
10g Cocoa Powder
½ Tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 tbs grated plain chocolate
Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
10g butter for greasing the tray

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they have doubled in size and are light and fluffy.  Slowly fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add the vanilla essence and chocolate flecks. Slowly add in the melted butter, gently folding all the time, the batter should be foamy and full of air. When mixed cover the bowl and put in the fridge for at least 30 mins, preferably overnight. Put a dollop of the mixture into a well buttered Madeleine tray, each mould should be about 2/3 full. Place in an oven at 375F/ 190C/ GM 5 for aorund 7 minutes until risen and shrinking away from the edges of the mould.

Leave for a few minutes and then turn out.

Enjoy.    More information about Madeleines on the original post here.