On the same day - Friday 26th - hundreds of thousands of people were baking and cooking and brewing tea and coffee in the name of fundraising for Macmillan. Scones, cupcakes and chocolate sponges would be served up in their hoards to hungry souls ready to part with their cash for cake and cancer support.
I decided to hold a cake sale in my office for the event, and set myself the task of baking three different types of treats for my colleagues as a contribution. One batch of the chosen cakes were French Madeleines - something I had never made before.
Months and months ago I read the perfect simple Madeleine recipe on What Olivia Did's blog and couldn't wait to try it, so this was the perfect excuse!
The night before the cake sale I set to work greasing Madeleine trays, beating eggs and watching the oven...and I have to say, I was so impressed with the resulting cakes - if I say so myself!
French Madeleines are little shell-shaped sponges with a delicate lemon and vanilla flavour. They're meant to be 'lighter than air' (in the words of Ross from Friends) which I suppose makes them the perfect tiny treat - and particularly good for those amongst us who don't like too much icing.
Olivia's recipe was easy to follow, and although the process was slightly time consuming and a little delicate (folding in butter was never going to be speedy!) I experienced no problems, and was left with more than twenty delicate little sponges, ready to be consumed in the name of charity.
If you want to bake something a little different, or fancy a cake-based treat to take to work for your colleagues, these are perfect - and although I could always do with more practice (not a problem, it means more to eat!) I thought they were very impressive!
After carefully combining some very basic ingredients, you're left with a thick, velvety batter which is then baked in these delicate shell moulds for just over ten minutes. They're not overpoweringly lemony to taste, either - just a lovely sponge which satisfies a sweet tooth, without being too plain.
Olivia's simple and easy-to-follow recipe can be found HERE on her wonderful blog. Don't forget to use her hashtag, #bakewithliv, to show her what you've been up to! My Instagram was full of photos of my Madeleines that night - and even Olivia herself approved (slight fan-girl moment there!).
I'll definitely be making these again, and they went down very well at the cake sale - we made a fantastic amount of money for a brilliant cause, which made me incredibly happy, and I will definitely try to take part next year. It's such a great thing to be a part of!
Did you hold a coffee morning for Macmillan?
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