Pink Peppercorn Madeleines #TheCakeSliceBakers

 

Here we are the December edition of the Cake Slice Bakers. For 2020, we have been baking from The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi.* I can't believe this year is almost over. I have really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see which book is selected for 2021.

In this group, we are given a selection of three cake recipes. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

December is a free-bake. As Felice wrote, "It can be something completely new, one that was suggested in a month but was not baked by you, or a repeat that you just can't forget." 

Here's the line-up for this final month of 2020...

• Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Maple-Walnut Layer Cake by Camille Cooks
• Malted Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache by Sweet Sensations
• Chocolate and Salted Praline Log by Amandie Bakes
• Nutmeg Custard Cake Doughnuts by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pink Peppercorn Madeleines by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Bitter Chocolate and Rosemary Tortes by A Little Bit of All Right

Note that while this post is inspired by The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi, I used my own - failproof! - madeleine recipe and added in crushed pink peppercorns. No need to change something that works, in my opinion. I loved the pink peppercorn addition and will be making these again soon.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup organic butter plus some for greasing pan
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 cup flour (I used a bread flour)
• 1/2 cup almond meal or flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, lightly crusted with a mortar and pestle plus more for garnish
• Also needed: tempered dark chocolate, if dipping; madeleine pan*

Procedure

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease, or butter, your madeleine pan and set aside.

Place your butter and sugar in a saucepan and heat, over medium heat, until the butter is melted and the sugar is blended into the butter.

Let the butter-sugar mixture cool for a few minutes, then spoon it into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and honey. Beat for a full three minutes to incorporate lots of air bubbles into your batter.

Fold in the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and crushed pink peppercords with a spatula, taking care not to deflate the batter too much. Using a truffle scoop, or teaspoon, fill the shell molds with batter until almost full.

Bake till the madeleines puff up and the edges are golden. Mine took between 17 and 19 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 3 to 5 minutes. Unmold. You may be able to tap them out; I used a small spatula to ease them out of the molds onto the cooling racks.

If dipping, temper your chocolate and dip part of the madeleine into the chocolate. Garnish with crushed pink peppercorns and leave till chocolate has hardened again.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.