One Perfect Bite: Spanish Magdalenas

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Spanish Magdalenas

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to break away from the savory Spanish dishes that I've been featuring this past week, but just for a day or two. Someone, who shall remain nameless, has started to sigh whenever he passes the sugar bowl. I can tell by the timbre of that sigh that rioting can be expected if something sweet doesn't make it to my table before the sun next sets and rises. So, to avoid revolution and general unpleasantness, I decided to swap savory for sweet and feature a dessert-like dish for tonight's post. While I wanted to stick with the Spanish theme, I also wanted something that was quick and easy to make, and after a quick scan of my recipes, I decided that Magdalenas would be perfect on both scores. These tiny sponge cakes are the Spanish version of French Madeleines. There are, however, some significant difference between the two. The Spanish version is made with olive oil and is baked in muffin cups, while the French make theirs with butter and bake them in special shell molds. The Spanish love these cakes and they are often eaten at breakfast along with a cup of cafe con leche into which they can be dunked. It's believed that these cakes appeared in Spain during pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. As the story goes, a young girl named Magdalena served the tiny cakes to pilgrims as they headed to and from Galacia. These days, you'll find the small cakes in bakeries and markets throughout the Spain, but they've also found a place among the pastries that are offered for breakfast in tourist hotels. They are delicious when freshly made and I think you will enjoy them and the ease with which they can be prepared. Here is the recipe.

Spanish Magdalenas...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Spanish Foods.com

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2/3 cups unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 lemon, Zest of
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 18 (1/2 cup) or 36 mini-muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer 1/4 cup of sugar to a small bowl and set aside.
2) Beat eggs with remaining 3/4 cup sugar until mixture is light. Slowly pour olive oil into egg mixture. Mix thoroughly. Stir in lemon zest, vanilla, and milk.
3) Measure flour into a separate bowl. Add baking powder and whisk to mix thoroughly.
4) With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour to egg mixture until ingredients are well mixed. Batter will be thick.
5) Spoon batter into prepared pans filling each cup (large or small) just half full (batter doubles in size when baked). Sprinkle each magdalena with a bit of the reserved sugar.
6) Place pans on middle shelf of preheated oven. Bake until magdalenas are golden, about 15 to 18 minutes for large cups or 13 to 15 minutes for those that are smaller. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan to cool further. Yield: 18 to 36 muffins.