Madeline Tower Tutorial (with recipe)



photo inspiration via Pinterest
Uniced madelines make for a lovely, organic look that's less work and equally delicious.
This recipe makes the correct amount of cakelets for a 12 inch tower.
Madelines
Makes 36 madelines
3/4 cup unsalted butter (plus another 2 Tbsp for the pan)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
- Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove and set aside to cool. You can brown the butter for added flavor.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on high speed for about 8 minutes. The mixture will be thick, pale, and form ribbons when you lift the beater. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
- Mix the baking powder, and salt together in another bowl. Gently fold half of the flour mixture into the eggs using a silicone spatula, then fold in the other half. Be very gentle with the delicate batter.
- Stir 1/4 cup of the batter into the melted butter and fully incorporate. Then add the butter mixture into the rest of the batter.
- Cover and chill the batter in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Try not to chill any longer than this as the butter in the batter will begin to solidify.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Melt the remaining butter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the madeline pan with the melted butter. Grease the pan even if you're using a non-stick one.
- Add a generous tablespoon of batter into each greased well on the pan. The batter will be stiff, hold its shape, and not flatten into the contours of the pan. Don't try to deflate it. Cover and refrigerate the remaining batter if you do not have 2 madeleine pans to bake the batter all at once.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The madeleines are done when they are golden brown around the edges and tops spring back after lightly pressed with your finger. Invert the pan onto the counter. Transfer the warm madeleines to a wire rack to lightly cool.
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
For the tower:
- 12 inch styrofoam cone (I used this one)
- plastic wrap
- toothpicks or cute cocktail spears
- 1 lb white melting chocolate (note: you need to use melting chocolate made for dipping for this. White chocolate chips will not melt to the consistency needed to make a smooth, attractive glaze. You could try to add coconut oil to white chips, but I actually tried this method, and for whatever reason, it didn't work. So in order to not mislead you, I advise getting melting bark like this.)
Melt the chocolate according to the instructions on the package in a shallow dish like a pasta bowl. You can add gel food coloring to create different colors.
Dip the scalloped front side of the madelines into the chocolate using a fork. (I speared mine into the back at an angle.) Make sure to cover the edges completely for the neatest presentation. (I did not do this as thouroughly as I wish I had. For an even grander presentation, you can double the madelines up back to back but this will require double the number of madelines.
Set on parchment to harden and add any sprinkles or embelishments while the chocolate is still wet. Once they are dry to the touch, add any edible glitter or luster dust. The madelines can be stored for a day in advance before assembling, but the tower will also stay assembled for up to a day without issues if stored at room temperature in a dry, cool place.
Cover the cone in plastic wrap before starting to prevent the styrofoam from sticking to the chocolate. You can secure it in place with the tooth picks. Be sure to place the cone on the desired serving tray or stand before assembling.

Insert two toothpicks for each madeline, one centered at the top and one centered at the bottom of the cakelet. They need to stick out about a half inch to hold the madeline without pocking through the front. Dab each cakelet with some of the leftover chocolate before attaching to the tower.

You'll need 32-36 madelines to cover the entire tower in 5 rows, depending on the size of the cakelets, with two at the top. I did 8 madelines on the bottom, 7 for the second tier, 6 for the third, 5 for the fourth, 4 for the last layer and I 'glued' to together with chocolate and added them standing up at the top.
Make sure to overlap each layer slightly for the most pleasing look.
You can add additional embellishments such as bows once the tower is fully assembled.