Madeleine LOVE

Thank you Donsuemor!  Thank you for sending me these incredible little cakes.  It was difficult for me not to eat them all before making this Raspberry Tiramisu, very difficult. I am excited to be participating in Donsuemor’s Dessert a Day project. Being asked to make a recipe using one of their delectable desserts was an offer that I jumped on.  From their list of French treats I chose the Madeleines….and they live up to their description. For those of you not familiar with Madeleines, they are small, light, sweet little cakes that are made in a very special pan.  (A pan that has been on my wish list for way too long, must purchase!)

“Our Madeleines

Donsuemor madeleines are elegant little French cakes with distinctive shell shapes. Rich and buttery with a unique flavor and texture—soft and moist with lightly crisped edges—they are made with the finest quality, all natural ingredients.

Donsuemor is inspired by spirited legends and romance of madeleines. In France, they are most often linked to the town of Commercy, in the region of Lorraine. One narrative suggests King Stanislas Leszczynska sent the recipe for madeleines to his daughter Maria following her marriage to Louis XV at Versailles. She named it for her father's French cook, Madeleine, who learned the recipe from her grandmother in Commercy. A slight variation of this story suggests that King Stanislas was hosting a luncheon. The court's chef did not prepare a dessert, and Madeleine, a young assistant saved the meal by preparing a little cake made at home in Commercy.

Another version suggests that madeleines were invented by Avice, the pastry chef of an influential nineteenth-century French diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, who placed the batter in scalloped-shaped molds.

And in Spain, the magdalenas, resemblance to the madeleines, are created to mark the Christian pilgrimage route that ends in Santiago de Compostela, in which sea scallops are the symbol most closely associated with this journey.

And for others, it is the French author Marcel Proust who immortalized them in his vivid description of savoring petites madeleines in his novel Remembrance of Things Past.

Donsuemor captures the tradition of these little French cakes, and creates a madeleine unlike any other. Once you taste them you will know why Donsuemor is the one you remember.

Donsuemor madeleines are available in five flavors, Traditional, Dipped, Lemon Zest, Chocolate, and Dipped Chocolate.”     Text from Donsuemor.com

I pondered the ideas of what to make with these sweet treats.  I thought a trifle, I thought ice cream, but I wanted to showcase the spongy goodness of these cakes….so I went with this….a Raspberry Tiramisu.

 

See the lovely seashell shape of the cake…the traditional Madeleine shape…so beautiful.

Raspberry Tiramisu for Two

Ingredients

6 – 10 Madeleine Cakes (depends on size of your dish)

1/2 Seedless Raspberry Jam

1 tbsp Raspberry Liqueur

2 tbsp Whipped Cream Vodka

2 tbsp Water

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/8 cup Sugar

1 cup Fresh Raspberries

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract together until stiff peaks are formed. Cover bowl and put in fridge to keep cold.
2. Stir together mascarpone cheese and 1 tbsp of whipped cream vodka.  Set aside.
3. In a small pot, over low heat, whisk together raspberry jam, raspberry liqueur, remaining tbsp of whipped cream vodka, and water.  Stir to combine and continue to stir until jam has thinned.
4. Take whipped cream out of the fridge, whisk 1/3 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese to lighten it up, then fold in remaining whipped cream.
5. Pull out your cute clear dish….you really want it to be clear so that you can see the pretty layers as you serve it.
6. Unwrap the individual Madeleine Cakes and try not to eat them all.
7. Dip the cakes into the raspberry jam mixture to completely cover them, give them a bit to soak up some of the saucy goodness.
8. Spread a light layer of the raspberry jam mixture on the bottom of your dish, then place one layer of the cookies in the dish.
9. Spoon and spread half of the whipped cream/mascarpone cheese mixture on top of the cookies.
10. Dip more cakes and place on top of whipped cream layer.
11. With remainder of the whipped cream mixture top the second layer of cakes and smooth nicely.
12. Cover dish and place in fridge to chill until ready to serve.
13. Decorate top of tiramisu with the fresh raspberries when ready to serve.

You will need to use a knife to serve this tiramisu as the cakes will still have their spongy texture.

First layer of saucy cakes:

Look at these layers….

Thank you, again, Donsuemor for these delicious treats.  Jason and I certainly enjoyed this fantastic dessert after putting the boys to bed….we weren’t willing to share, and with the alcohol in the dessert we shouldn’t be sharing anyway!

You should definitely check out Donsuemor for more of their delicate treats, and also pop over to Cupcake Rehab to see what she made with Donsuemor’s  French Almond Cakes.