• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tara's Multicultural Table

  • Index
  • International Recipes
  • Travel
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Policies

Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins)

11 May, 2020 by Tara 8 Comments

  • Facebook
  • Threads
  • Bluesky
Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

A recipe for Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins or Cupcakes)! These light muffins are flavored with lemon zest and olive oil for a delicious treat perfect for pairing with coffee.

Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins) with purple muffin liners.

Baking Bloggers

Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to vote on a different baking project.

For May, we are featuring the Baking of Spain and I am joining in with a recipe for Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins)! Check out more of my #BakingBloggers recipes:

  • Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)
  • Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Galette
  • Baked Cookies and Cream Doughnuts.

Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins)

Close up of Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins) on a wooden board with more in the background.

I first came across Magdalenas while reviewing the cookbook, Spain, a few years ago and can’t believe it took me until now to finally make them!

Related to the French Madeleines, the Spanish Magdalenas come in a muffin shape and are a wonderful accompaniment to breakfast or an afternoon snack.

The kids were particularly mesmerized with their rise (copete) and have now nicknamed them, “volcano muffins.” I flavored the muffins with lemon zest and olive oil, but chocolate and orange zest are also popular.

To help get that “volcanic” shape, beat the eggs well, followed by the sugar, olive oil, and milk. They should be light and frothy.

After mixing in the flour and one tablespoon of baking powder, place the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes-1 hour before baking (don’t leave it much longer than that- this particular recipe uses baking powder and not yeast).

Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C) before adding the muffins, then immediately decrease the temperature to 400˚F (200˚C). Leave the oven door closed as they bake (try not to peek until they are nearly done).

The Magdalenas are especially wonderful warm from the oven paired with a cup of coffee. Once cool, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.

A Few Magdalenas Tips

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

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 muffins.

Line the muffin tins with paper liners. Do not use silicone liners inside the tins. This will prevent the heat needed to help the Magdalenas rise. Place sturdy silicone liners directly on the baking sheet.

Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 full. I slightly overfilled a standard ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to each of the prepared muffin tins. I have found this to be the easiest way to get a consistent size.

If desired, sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each muffin before placing in the oven to add a bit of crispness on top. 

Check out what everyone else made:

  • Basque Chicken from Palatable Pastime
  • Catalan Coca from A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Flan De Leche Condensada from Sneha’s Recipe
  • Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
  • Patatas Panaderas from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • Pescado al Horno con Gambas from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • San Marcos Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
  • Spanish Olive Oil Muffins (Magdalenas) from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
  • Spanish Potato Bake from Making Miracles
  • Tortilla de Patatas from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins) on a wooden board next to a lemon.

Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins) Recipe

Adapted from Recetas de Rechupete

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins)

A recipe for Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins or Cupcakes)! These light muffins are flavored with lemon zest and olive oil for a delicious treat perfect for pairing with coffee.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Spanish
Keyword breakfast, brunch, lemon, Magdalenas, muffin, olive oil, Spain, Spanish
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour
Servings 10 Muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups (170 grams) pastry flour
  • 1 tablespoon (10 grams) baking powder
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Slowly beat in the sugar, followed by the olive oil and milk. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
  • Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until no clumps remain. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line muffin tins with paper liners or lightly grease.
  • Fill each muffin tin with 3/4 of the batter and if desired, sprinkle the tops with sugar. Place in the oven and reduce temperature to 400˚F (200˚C).
  • Bake the Magdalenas until risen and golden around the edges, 13-15 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking until they are nearly done.
  • Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • Facebook
  • Threads
  • Bluesky

Filed Under: Breakfast, European

Previous Post: « Riganada and Venetian Republic
Next Post: Chin Chin (Fried Dough Snacks) and Flavors of Africa »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Caroline

    11 May, 2020 at 4:11 am

    I’m not quite sure how, but I’d kind of forgotten about magdalenas until I saw you were going to be making them – they used to be one of my favorite treats when I lived in Madrid. Yours look lovely, plus helpful tips.

    Reply
  2. Juli M

    11 May, 2020 at 7:31 am

    I have some olive oil I really love the taste of, I can’t wait to try it in muffins with lemon zest. These look so delicious, I can’t wait to make my own volcanoes.

    Reply
  3. Karen

    11 May, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    I love the bumps on top! These sound delicious. I’m loving all of the olive oil-centric recipes this month.

    Reply
  4. sneha datar

    12 May, 2020 at 7:26 am

    I too love these volcanic top muffins they look so inviting.

    Reply
  5. Sid

    16 May, 2020 at 7:02 am

    And another recipe to put on the list to try making. These look like a fun bake.

    Reply
  6. nikky

    10 November, 2020 at 3:24 am

    maybe it was the wholemeal flour and not golden on top after 15 minutes. After more cooking and squeezing ;lemon juice into next batch they resembled magdalena taste.

    Reply
    • Tara

      10 November, 2020 at 10:50 am

      Hi Nikky! This recipes calls for pastry flour, not wholemeal.

      Reply
  7. Radwa

    14 July, 2023 at 6:30 am

    5 stars
    For me, this is the perfect muffin for breakfast! Thanks.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

tarasmctable (1 of 1)

Hello and welcome to Tara's Multicultural Table! Check out the index to find recipes from around the world and learn more about me .

Subscribe to Tara's Multicultural Table via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,164 other subscribers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Categories

Amazon

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program and earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Subscribe to Tara's Multicultural Table via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,164 other subscribers

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Tara's Multicultural Table on the Foodie Pro Theme