How to spot a good madeleine

Madeleines are small shell-shaped cakes, and because they are small, there is nowhere for a weak one to hide. (New to them? Start with what a French madeleine is.) Here is what we look for when we taste our own, and what you can check in about ten seconds at any bakery or when a box arrives at your door.

What does a good madeleine look like?

Look at both sides. The flat side should carry a clear shell pattern with well defined ridges, pressed in by the shell-shaped mould it bakes in. The other side should rise into a rounded hump, the bump that the Wikipedia entry names as one of the two marks of the cake. The colour should be golden at the edges and even across the top.

A flat madeleine with faint ridges is not a disaster. It is just a sign that less care went into the bake.

What should a good madeleine feel like when you bite it?

Crisp outside, tender inside. That contrast is the whole point of the cake, and the Wikipedia entry describes it the same way. The edge should give a little snap. The inside should be soft and springy, not dense, dry or gummy.

If the edge and the middle feel the same, something is missing. That is the test we use on every batch at Ondine.

Does it matter when a madeleine was baked?

Yes, and it is the easiest question to ask. Any good bakery can tell you when the madeleines in front of you came out of the oven. If nobody can tell you when they were baked, you have learned something about the bakery, not just the cake.

The ten-second check, step by step

Use this before you pay, or when your box arrives.

1. Pick one up and turn it shell side up. Are the ridges clear and even?
2. Turn it over. Is there a rounded hump?
3. Look at the edge. Golden, a little darker than the middle?
4. Press very gently. It should spring back, not feel hard or wet.
5. Ask, or check the label: baked today?

Plain or flavoured: which should you try first?

Start plain. A plain madeleine has nothing to hide behind, so it shows the shape, the edge and the crumb most clearly. Once you know what a good one tastes like, flavours are the fun part. Our guide to plain, stuffed or topped madeleines explains the styles.

A good flavoured madeleine still tastes like a madeleine. The flavour should sit with the cake, not cover it.

Tips from the kitchen

• Eat the first one on the day. The crisp edge is at its best the day it is baked.
• Taste with a plain drink. Black coffee or a light tea lets the cake speak. See madeleines with coffee and tea.
• Compare side by side. Two madeleines from different places, tasted together, teach you more than any description. Our list of where to buy madeleines in Bangkok is a good starting point.

How do you get madeleines delivered in Bangkok?

We deliver across central Bangkok by Grab Express (roughly Bang Sue to Bang Na, and Thon Buri to Bang Kapi), Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 18:00. We are closed on Sundays. Boxes hold 3 or 5 madeleines: the Petite 3 is 290 baht and the Signature 5 is 450 baht. Every box goes in an Ondine logo bag with a ribbon and a wish card. Build your own box or browse the boxes.

Questions? Message us on Instagram @ondine.bkk.

The short version

A good madeleine shows clear shell ridges, a rounded hump, a crisp golden edge and a tender inside, and it was baked today.