Cheddar-Cayenne Madeleines

I have been experimenting with different sorts of savoury madeleines. My favourite so far is this cheddar-cayenne variety. They have a light and fluffy texture, which is different than the other cheese ones I have tried. I used the basic recipe for madeleine as a starting point, but altered the recipe to use less sugar, more leavening, no vanilla, and of course, added cheddar and cayenne. These ones are keepers.

Cheddar-Cayenne Madeleines

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together and set aside:
1 cup of flour
2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Melt:
1 stick of butter (113 g).

Remove butter from heat and add:
115 g of McLaren’s Imperial Sharp Cheddar that has been broken into small pieces. Stir until melted. Set aside.

Use a mixer to whisk together the following until the ribbon stage is reached:
3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons sugar

Fold the flour mixture into the eggs a third at a time. Fold in the butter and cheese. If you are using metal pans, butter and flour them. I used silicone so I just filled mine. Actually, I overfilled mine a bit, so they lost a bit of their tidy shape. Aim for 3/4 full.

Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F and bake for 6 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake a further 6 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. We enjoyed most of ours warm, with zuchhini-tomato soup, and the rest were a good addition to my daughter’s school lunches.