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The roasted soybean flour gives these Kinako Madeleines a warm, nutty kick inside and out. Serve with a cup of coffee or tea for the perfect indulgence.

Take your madeleines to the next level by adding my favorite Japanese dessert ingredient: kinako. If you are not familiar with kinako, it is a roasted soybean flour that is popular in Japanese sweets. It has a warm, nutty flavor, similar to peanut butter.

Kinako is added to the madeleine batter and coating for double richness and nuttiness. Like my other madeleine variants, these little kinako butter cakes are soft, buttery, with slightly crisped edges. Since the powder coating on the outside can make these madeleines pretty dry, serve them with a cup of coffee or tea.

What is Kinako?

Kinako is a traditional Japanese ingredient made from soybeans. It’s made by finely grinding roasted soybeans into a golden yellow powder. The roasting process gives kinako a rich, nutty flavor with a slightly sweet undertone.

It has a light golden colour and a fine texture similar to regular all-purpose flour. The earthy and nutty taste of kinako powder is comparable to peanuts and its aroma is reminiscent of roasted nuts or toasted grains.

You can find kinako at most Asian grocery stores or buy it online at Amazon.

Ingredients You Need

Unsalted butter. Using high-quality butter in madeleines is simply essential, even more so as the butter is what brings the flavor to them. For the best result, use European-style butter which has less water, higher fat content, and richer flavor. It will really make a difference here.
Eggs. Make sure you use room-temperature eggs because they blend more evenly in batters.
Castor sugar. You can also replace it with granulated sugar. I used castor sugar because it blends more easily than granulated sugar.
Honey. It helps keep the madeleines moist and makes them taste more flavorful.
Cake flour. Cake flour is ideal for baked goods with a tender texture due to its low gluten content. You can also use all-purpose flour to substitute cake flour.
Kinako. Kinako is made by finely grinding roasted soybeans into a golden yellow powder. Add the kinako into the madeleine batter and coating for double nuttiness.
Baking powder. It is an ingredient responsible for forming the madeleine’s hump.

roasted soybean flour (kinako) madeleines

Choosing Madeleines Pan

You need one or two madeleine pans to make the signature scallop shape of the madeleines. Consider these things when you buy the madeleine pans:

Shape. Madeleines are traditionally baked in shell-shaped molds, and the concave, shallow shape directs the batter upwards as the madeleines bake.
Cavity depth. You want to be sure that the wells are deep enough to produce madeleines with that distinctive hump they are known for.
Material. You can find different madeleine molds made from metal or silicone. I strongly recommend metal pans. They are great for their excellent heat transfer. In addition, choose a non-stick pan so that the madeleines can be released easily from the pan.

Chill Your Batter to Get the Humps

The batter must be refrigerated for at least 1 hour or overnight. The purpose of this is to chill the batter which also thickens it. This is what creates the signature hump on the madeleines – the shock of the heat hitting the cold batter, and the thicker batter which allows the cake to rise faster.

For the best result, I recommend refrigerating for 2 hours or more. The longer they are chilled, the taller the humps.

Baking Tips

Temperature matters. Make sure you use room temperature eggs and slightly warm melted butter as written in the recipe.
Rest and chill the dough. To get the signature madeleine humps.
Don’t overfill the molds. You should fill them about 80-90% full for the best result.
Keep an eye on them as they bake. Madeleines are quick to bake. You only need 10-12 minutes to have them risen and golden brown.

Storage

As madeleines are such small cakes, they can become dry relatively fast. Madeleine should be enjoyed as close to baking them as possible for the best result. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

If you don’t plan to eat the Kinako Madeleines immediately, make sure to store the madeleines without the kinako coating. If it is stored with kinako touching the surface, the powder will become wet and soggy. When you are ready to serve, coat the madeleines with the kinako powder.

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