Makes around 18 madeleines. We’ve used silicone madeleine trays with wire supports on the edges, and the holes are 7x4.5cm.

Good with a cup of tea or coffee, you can also serve them with whipped ricotta and fresh fruit for dessert. They’re at their best the day after baking when the polenta has soaked up all the flavours and become softer.

Ingredients:

• 75g butter at room temperature
• 70g caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1 medium orange, the zest and the juice
• 1/2 tsp good vanilla essence
• 80g chestnut flour
• 30g polenta or maize grits
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Method:

Pre-heat a fan oven to 170°C.

Thoroughly butter the madeleine trays.

Sieve the chestnut flour, polenta and baking powder into a bowl and blend thoroughly.

In another bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together until fluffy using an electric hand whisk.

Add the orange zest and the vanilla essence and beat again.

Add the egg and carry on beating until pale and fluffy.

Fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, add the orange juice and mix lightly.

Fill the madeleine moulds with approximately a teaspoon of the mixture per hole, nudge lightly to the edges with the back of a teaspoon.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until browning at the edges.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing the madeleines to a cooling rack with a blunt knife.