Want to bring the French bakery vibes to your kitchen? Make these tasty Cinnamon Madeleine Cakes! They’re packed with the delicious flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
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I know you’re asking – What are madeleines? They are classic French tea cakes with a cute scallop shape and a perfect combination of soft and buttery inside and crispy outside. Get ready for some serious yum!
Years ago, I bought a Madeleine mold and promptly put it away, never to be used. It took cleaning out my cupboard to find this pan again; it was still clean and shiny. If you have done the same, pull that pan out and make these easy-to-make classic French cakes, our favorite little treats.
These little shell-shaped cakes are perfect for an afternoon tea treat. Enjoy them with our Honey Ginger Tea or a mug of creamy hot chocolate. Personally, I like them best with a cup of old-fashioned perked coffee.
Table of contents
Get the essential details of these madeleines at a glance:
- Type of recipe: Cake
- Cooking method: Oven-baked, requires 30 minutes to chill batter.
- Skill level: Easy, using a hand mixer and gently folding batter.
- Flavors & textures: Soft and buttery inside and crispy outside
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Adds moisture and richness and helps create the signature tender texture of madeleines.
- All-purpose Flour: Provides structure and stability for the delicate sponge-like cakes.
- Large Eggs: Add volume, richness, and structure, giving madeleines their light, airy texture.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the batter and contributes to the golden crust.
- Vanilla: Adds warmth and depth to the overall flavor. Use a good quality vanilla or make some homemade vanilla.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves: Combine to create a warm, spiced flavor profile that complements the madeleines’ delicate texture.
How To Make Cinnamon Madeleines
Step 1. Melt butter in the microwave and set aside to cool back to room temperature.
Step 2. Using a handheld electric mixer, prepare the batter by adding the sugar, room-temperature eggs, and vanilla to a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix these ingredients on medium speed for five to seven minutes until the mixture becomes pale and has tripled in volume.
Mixing tip – At this point, you want to treat the egg batter as delicately as possible so it doesn’t deflate, so be gentle.
Step 3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 4. Lightly spoon half the flour mixture over the egg mixture. Then, with a rubber spatula, start folding the flour into the beaten egg batter until the flour has been incorporated, then add the rest of the flour.
Step 5. Add about a ¼ cup of the batter to the melted butter and slowly stir to incorporate. Next, add this mixture to the egg/flour batter and slowly combine. The batter will be thick and shiny.
Step 6. Your madeleine sponge batter is ready to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chilling helps the batter rise during baking, so you get those nice fluffy madeleines.
Step 7. While the dough is chilling in the fridge, prepare your pan. Always butter your pan, even if it is nonstick. You can use cooking spray, but I like the butter flavor better.
Step 8. Spoon one tablespoon of batter into each shell. The batter will be thick but spread during baking, so it is unnecessary to spread it in the shell.
Step 9. Bake these cakes at 350°F. for 10 to 12 minutes until the bump is on top and they are golden brown.
Remove the little cakes from the oven and cool them in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan one by one, pushing each from the mold. If they are stuck, you can run a knife around the edges to release them. It is better to prop the cakes up in the pan to finish cooling instead of putting them on a cooling rack, which could cause the indentation of the rack lines.
Serving and Storage
Serve these madeleines warm, dusted with powdered sugar, alongside a cup of your favorite brew. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.”
Baking tips
- Since eggs are the main ingredient for this recipe and are used as a leavening, they need to be at room temperature so they will combine with the other ingredients. If they are cold, they may separate.
- The chilled batter can be covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- Eating warm madeleines is the best, but they keep well in a covered container for several days.
More Spiced Dessert Recipes
If you’re a fan of cozy spices, you’re in good company. These recipes highlight some of our favorite flavors—cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Spiced Holiday Cookies– Have all our favorite spices – ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Classic Ginger Cookies – A go-to fall cookie made with three kinds of ginger. You’ll love them.
- Cinnamon Rock Candy – This is a fun-to-make vintage recipe, and perfect for gifting during the holidays.
- Apple Cider Bread – Every slice is full of warm fall flavors.
- Crescent Roll Cinnamon Rolls – Quick to make and full of cinnamon goodness thanks to pre-made dough.
- Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies – Made with chai tea for that spicy flavor we love.
- Nutmeg and Pecan Braided Bread – A tender yeast bread filled with crunchy nuts and a creamy nutmeg filling.
Recipe FAQs
You can freeze the baked madeleines in an airtight container for up to six months. To serve, let thaw for one to two hours.
If you don’t have a madeleine mold, use a greased and floured mini muffin pan, just add two teaspoons of batter and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Madeleines are small, buttery sponge cakes that are often mistaken for cookies because of their size. However, they are actually delicate, bite-sized cakes with a soft, airy texture.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Madeleine Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cups granulaed sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the madeleines
Instructions
- Place the butter in a small bowl then melt it in the microwave or you can use a saucepan to melt the butter. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium-sized bowl beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla for five to seven minutes until the mixture becomes pale and has tripled in volume. You can use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer.
- In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices and whisk to combine.
- Spoon ½ the flour mixture over the egg batter and gently fold the flour into the batter with a rubber spatula to combine, then add the remaining flour and fold in again.Do this slowly so you don't deflate the egg batter.
- Stir about a ¼ cup of the egg/flour batter in the cooled melted butter gently stir to to combine. Then add this mixture into the rest of the egg/flour batter and gently fold in to combine.
- Chill the batter for a half hour.
- Set the oven temperature to 350 °F and generously butter and flour the Madeleine pan. Butter is my preferred choice. Some pans are non-stick so you may not have to flour the pan, but I would still butter it.
- Spoon a tablespoon of batter into each mold. The batter is thick, but there is no need to press it down into the mold as it will spread during baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are golden brown and the bump appears on top. Watch carefully so they don't over-brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes then remove from the pan. See notes.
- With a sifter or fine-mesh sieve sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cakes.
- Madeleines are best eaten warm or at room temperature on the same day they are made, but if you have leftovers store them in an airtight container for up to three days.
Notes
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Nutrition
First published: Nov. 10, 2018. Last updated: January 12, 2025, with updated images and baking tips.
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About Jere’ Cassidy
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place. I am glad to be sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
Madeleines are my favourite. I love how you added cinnamon to it.
Obsessed with these spiced madeleines! The combination of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves is just fabulous!
They just look so devine. I want some.
So light and a perfect combination of spices.
We love madeleines at our home. These madeleines with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves sound interesting, and can’t wait to try the recipe.
what a flavour profile and combination – Spiced Madeleines With Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves. Love this combination and will try to make this at home.
I love madeleines, and these spiced ones sound amazing. I’ve made some that use Speculaas Spice, which would have these same spices plus white pepper, aniseed, ginger, and cardamom. Tea Parties are so fun! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I love madeleines but have never made them. The spices in these really add some seasonal flavour so perfect for the holiday season! Your story about forgetting you had the pan till you cleaned out your cupboard made me laugh! I’ve done the same, although not with a madeleine pan! I need to get one!
I have to say, I’m not a fan of regular madeleines. They just seem bland usually. But adding these spices would do the trick I think. I’ll definitely try this recipe in the near future. Seems perfect for the fall.
I agree with you, but I also an a big fan of spices.
These spiced madelines are so deliciously Fall! Love everything about them!
I love Madeleine, and I love cinnamon. I never had Madeleines with this spice combo before. I am excited to try it out. Thanks for the recipe and detailed instructions.
Madeleines are one of my fave little cake to enjoy, I got all the spices and will be making this! Glad I found your recipe.
These came out perfectly! And I love that each cake is only 80calories each!
Hi Jeannie, thanks for letting me know I left the vanilla out of the instructions. I fixed and in the recipe.