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| Magdalena with linden-flower tea. |
If Proust had been named Pérez, he may need recalled dipping a magdalena, fairly than a madeleine, into his tia’s cup of tila (linden-flower tea). The magdalena is Spain’s rendition of this little tea cake.
A magdalena resembles a small muffin or a cupcake in dimension. Proust’s madeleine was baked in a small scalloped mould, however these days magdalenas are usually spherical or sq..
French madeleines are confected with butter, however the magdalena is made with oil, ideally additional virgin olive. It’s not as cakey as a cupcake, neither is it ever frosted. A magdalena just isn’t as dense as a muffin and wouldn’t usually have something similar to raisins, blueberries or chopped nuts included. It’s principally a tiny sponge cake, scented with lemon zest.
In Spain, magdalenas are served for breakfast—pretty dipped in café con leche, milky tea or chocolate—or for merienda, afternoon snack, with a cup of tea. The Proustian reminiscence is of his aunt dipping a madeleine into an fragrant tisane of tilleul (linden flower, lime blossom, tila in Spanish). Any herb tea or chai goes with magdalenas. Serve them with candy wine or liqueurs as nicely. Magdalenas additionally make a superb base for desserts—add fruit and whipped cream or a dollop of wealthy yogurt for a shortcake shortcut.
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| Not cupcakes, not muffins. These are magdalenas, small sponge truffles that make excellent snacks. |
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| Not overly candy, the little truffles are scented with lemon zest. |
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| Good for a espresso break, a gluten-free magdalena. To dunk or to not dunk? |
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| Use magdalenas as the bottom for desserts–on the left, with sliced strawberry and Greek yogurt; on the best, with sliced mango and caramel syrup. Sure, that may be a big strawberry within the foreground. |
I’ve made two completely different batches of magdalenas. The second recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free. Whereas these didn’t pouf up so excessive because the common model, with wheat flour, they had been equally scrumptious.
Lemon-Scented Tea Truffles
Magdalenas
A light-flavored olive oil, similar to Arbequina, is sweet for these delicate truffles, however any additional virgin olive oil is ok.
Though not conventional, I’ve added a pinch of saffron, infused within the milk, to the batter. It provides a delicate taste and golden coloration.
Two vital tricks to making these little truffles. One, beat the eggs and sugar till they’re thickened and pale, 4 or 5 minutes with electrical mixer or whisk. And, secondly, enable the batter to relax no less than 4 hours earlier than baking.
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| Chilling the batter makes a puffier cake. |
The experiment: I divided one batch of magdalena batter in half. I baked off one half (eight truffles) instantly. I chilled the remaining batter 4 hours earlier than baking eight extra truffles. The second batch, from chilled batter (the cake pictured on the left), rose a half-inch larger than the primary (pictured on the best). I do not know why, however chilling the batter produces truffles which might be properly domed. (The gluten-free truffles, not pictured right here, had been chilled earlier than baking, however didn’t pouf up as excessive because the common ones.) I recommend chilling the batter for no less than 4 hours and as much as 24 hours earlier than baking.
Makes 16 (2 ½-inch) truffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
Pinch of saffron threads (non-compulsory)
3 giant eggs
¾ cup + 1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup additional virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Sift collectively the flour, baking powder and salt. Put aside.
Mix the milk and saffron, if utilizing.
Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl for one minute. Add the ¾ cup of sugar and beat with an electrical mixer till the combination is pale and thick and elevated in quantity, 3 minutes. Beat within the milk with saffron, then the oil. On low pace, beat within the sifted flour.
Cowl the bowl and refrigerate the batter for 4 hours or as much as 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place cupcake liners or muffin papers (cápsulas para magdalenas) in muffin trays. Take away batter from the fridge.
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| Sprinkle on sugar earlier than baking. |
Fill the liners ¾ full. Sprinkle tops with a bit of sugar.
Place the tray(s) within the oven. Cut back oven temperature to 400ºF. Bake quarter-hour with out opening the oven. Take a look at the truffles for doneness. They need to really feel springy when frivolously pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clear. Return them to the oven till frivolously golden, about 3 minutes extra.
Cool the trays on a rack 5 minutes. Fastidiously take away the truffles from the trays and funky fully on a rack. The truffles maintain in an air-tight container as much as per week.
Gluten-Free Tea Truffles
Magdalenas sin Gluten
I used a mixture (whole 1 ¾ cups, about 7.5 ounces) of rice flour and cornstarch (cornflour) rather than all-purpose wheat flour. You would use any gluten-free cake flour. I added almond flour for a bit of texture.
I used a non-caloric sweetener particularly for baking (King Arthur® Baking Sugar Different). This product, which I’ve not present in Spain, has a mixture of substances that, like sugar, provides quantity and bulk in addition to sweetness to baked items.
On a whim, I blended about ½ teaspoon of dried linden flowers (from a tila tea bag) with the flour. I didn’t discover the flavour within the completed magdalenas by any means, so I’ve not included that ingredient within the recipe. I believe it could require a bigger amount of the dry leaves or else a robust infusion.
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| Two sorts of gluten-free flour. |
Makes 10 (2 ½-inch truffles).
¾ cup rice flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup almond flour (unsweetened)
3 eggs
¾ cup sweetener for baking or sugar
1/3 cup additional virgin olive oil
¼ cup almond milk (unsweetened)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Sift collectively the rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Stir within the almond flour. Set the dry substances apart.
Utilizing an electrical mixer, beat the eggs in a bowl till they’re pale and elevated in quantity, 4 minutes. Beat within the sweetener or sugar. Beat within the oil and the milk. Add the lemon zest. Fold within the dry substances till batter is clean. Cowl and chill the batter no less than 4 hours and as much as 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line muffin cups with liners. Take away the batter from the fridge. Fill muffin cups ¾ full. Place them within the oven and scale back oven temperature to 375ºF. Bake about 18 minutes till truffles are frivolously golden and springy when pressed frivolously.
Cool the muffin cups on a rack 5 minutes. Take away the truffles and funky fully on a rack. Retailer the truffles in an air-tight container.
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| The gluten-free magdalenas didn’t pouf up as a lot because the common ones, regardless that the batter was chilled. |
Extra recipes for gluten-free and sugar-free baked items:
