A recipe for Hojicha Madeleines! These light and airy butter cakes are flavored with hojicha powder for a perfect teatime snack.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hojicha Co. All comments and opinions are my own.
Hojicha Madeleines
Related to the Spanish Magdalenas, Madeleines are small French butter cakes baked in a signature shell-shaped pan. Eggs are beaten with sugar until pale yellow and thickened, then folded with the dry ingredients and melted butter to form a delicate batter. The mixture is refrigerated for 30 minutes to an hour to chill before transferring to a buttered pan and baking in the hot oven until puffed. The result is an incredibly light and airy cake with crisp edges that give way to a soft and spongy interior.
I added Hojicha Powder to the flour mixture to make Hojicha Madeleines (ほうじ茶マドレーヌ)! Hojicha (ほうじ茶) is formed by roasting green tea leaves over charcoal. This results in a light reddish-brown color with a toasted, more subtle flavor. Due to the roasting process, Hojicha also has a lower caffeine content- making it perfect for an evening tea, palate cleanser, or to flavor these Madeleines!
Hojicha Co.
I simply mixed 1 tablespoon of Hojicha Co.’s Hojicha Powder into the flour before folding with the egg mixture to infuse that notable roasted, slightly sweet flavor throughout the madeleines. I especially love using the powder for baked goods since you can just mix it right in with the other ingredients. No brewing or steeping required!
Hojicha Co. features roasted green tea grown in the fields of Kyoto and is the first brand to specialize in Hojicha outside of Japan. They “distribute small batch, single origin teas which are naturally low in caffeine, contain no additives, and no unnecessary blending or processing.” In addition to this incredibly versatile Hojicha powder, other current products include loose-leaf Hojicha Dark Roast, Gold Roast, Hanamitsu, and Kukitori.
For best results, these Madeleines are baked in a special shell-shaped pan to create that iconic scalloped shape. You can substitute with a mini muffin pan if one isn’t available, but the texture won’t be quite the same.
After cooling to room temperature, I simply topped the Hojicha Madeleines with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. You can also dip the cakes into a melted white or dark chocolate glaze for a little extra decoration.
For even more hojicha flavor, pair the Madeleines with hot tea or a Hojicha Latte! I dissolved a teaspoon of Hojicha Powder into 1/4 cup hot water, then added more water/milk to taste (Hojicha Co. recommends making a Hojicha Latte with oat milk and maple syrup). Check out Hojicha Co. for more recipe ideas featuring Hojicha.
Helpful Tips
- Melt the butter before preparing the remaining ingredients so it has a chance to cool.
- Beat the eggs and sugar well using a handheld mixer, stand mixer, or by hand. Room temperature eggs work best. The mixture should be light and thick. This will take around 5-10 minutes. To test, raise the whisk from the bowl and the mixture should fall back down in a ribbon.
- Fold the flour into the egg mixture just until combined and no clumps remain, but be careful not to overmix. This will deflate the batter and create more tough cakes without that notable rise.
- Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking. I only have one pan, so I usually bake the first batch after 30 minutes and the final batch closer to 1 hour.
- Be careful not to overfill the molds and do not spread out the batter. I placed a tablespoon dollop of chilled batter in the center of each well-greased mold.
- Have the oven preheated to 425˚F (220˚C). Decrease the temperature to 400˚F (200˚C) immediately after placing the pan in the oven.
- Do not open the oven door as the madeleines bake. This will release too much heat. Try not to check on them until close to the 10 minute mark. The cooking time may vary depending on your specific pan size and color. Darker pans tend to brown the cakes faster.
- The madeleines are best within a couple of hours of baking and a day at most. They will quickly become dry.
Hojicha Madeleines Recipe
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Hojicha Madeleines
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (115 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (6 grams) hojicha powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
- Powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until well whipped, thickened, and a pale yellow color, 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the vanille extract.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, hojicha powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour half of the flour mixture into the beaten eggs and gently fold until just combined with no streaks. Add the remainder of the flour and gently fold, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
- Gently fold half of the melted butter into the batter until just combined, then fold in the remainder until all the butter has been incorporated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚F). Grease the cavities of a madeleine pan well with butter.
- Place a spoonful of batter into the center of each cavity. Do not spread it out. Each cavity should be about 3/4 full. Refrigerate remaining batter between batches.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and immediately reduce heat to 400˚F (200˚C). Bake until the edges are starting to turn golden and the batter has puffed and set, 10-12 minutes. Do not open the oven door until nearly done. Allow the madeleines to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Clean the pan, grease, and repeat with remaining batter.
- The madeleines are best served within a couple of hours of baking. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Store cooled madeleines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
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