These delicate little cakes have a lovely south-east Asian twist
Pandan leaves are used in Malaysia and Indonesia to give dishes a lovely aromatic flavour. You can buy the leaves, and paste made from them, in most Chinese supermarkets. The natural green colour works well with the frog theme of these madeleines.
To make fresh pandan juice, cut leaves into small pieces and put them in a food processor with a little water. Blend in short bursts, until you can squeeze the juice out (over a sieve).
Makes: 12-15
Prep time: 15 mins
Baking time: 10-12 mins, plus chilling and decorating time
For the madeleines
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
135g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
33g coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp pandan paste
2 tsp pandan juice, freshly squeezed (or a little more pandan paste)
70g salted butter, melted
For the green chocolate dip
200g white chocolate or compound chocolate, melted and coloured with chocolate-safe (not water-based) food dye
Plus
Green chocolate/compound chocolate buttons
For the face details
110g icing sugar
20g egg white
Black and pink gel food dye
To make the madeleines, add the eggs and sugar to a large bowl and whisk on high speed for about seven minutes. Then combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
When the egg and sugar mixture is thick and holds a trail, add the coconut milk, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Add the vanilla bean paste, pandan paste and pandan juice, then whisk until just incorporated. Pour in the (cooled) melted butter and whisk again until just combined.
Cover with clingfilm and freeze for 30 minutes. Melt a little extra butter and grease a madeleine tin, then freeze this, too. Preheat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9.
After chilling, transfer the batter to a piping bag. Pipe a large blob into the centre of each madeleine mould.
Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until each madeleine has a humped shape and is starting to colour.
Slide them out of the tins and on to a wire rack. When cool, dip them halfway into the green melted chocolate and return them to the rack.
Transfer the leftover melted chocolate to a piping bag and cut a small tip (it may need to be reheated first). Use this to pipe the frogs’ mouths and to make the green-chocolate-button eyes stick.
For the face details, whisk together the icing sugar and egg white until smooth. Divide between three bowls and colour one black and another pink. Transfer to piping bags and use to add the eye and cheek details.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
