Gluten-free chocolate banana madeleines

Choco banana is a classic in Japan, loved for its nostalgic mix of rich chocolate and sweet, ripe banana. This madeleine is gluten-free, with a deep cocoa flavour and fresh banana woven into every bite. Soft, moist, and full of comfort, it is proof that gluten-free can still taste like a treat. You can make other shapes, too.

Gluten-free chocolate banana madeleines. Credit: Quadrille / Michael Gardenia

• makes

  12-30

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Banana ganache

• 120 g (4 oz) banana purée (see Note)
• 20 g (⅔ oz) passionfruit purée (optional, can be swapped for same amount of banana purée; see Note)
• 30 g (1oz) double (heavy) cream
• 6 g (1½ tsp) milk powder
• 140 g (5oz) white chocolate
• 20 g (⅔oz) cocoa butter
• 30 g (1oz) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Gluten-free chocolate madeleine batter 

• 60 g (2 oz) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
• 10 g (⅓ oz) ground almonds
• 15 g (½ oz) cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder (Dutch-processed), plus extra for dusting
• 7 g (1½ tsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
• 3 g (¾oz) baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 100 g (3½ oz) whole eggs, strained (see Note)
• 80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 15 g (½ oz) honey
• 65 g (2¼ oz) dairy-free butter, plus extra for greasing
• 20 g coconut oil
• 10 g vegetable oil
• 30 g dark chocolate

The madeleines pictured were made using a Chiyoda banana mould. This recipe can make 12 madeleines using a standard madeleine mould, or around 30 pieces when using the Chiyoda banana mould (which has a smaller cavity size).

Chilling time: at least 4 hours. Resting time: 30 minutes.

Instructions

1. For the banana ganache: Warm the banana purée, passion fruit purée, cream and vanilla paste in a saucepan.
2. Melt the chocolate and cocoa butter over a pan of simmering water.
3. Pour the hot banana mixture over the melted white chocolate and cocoa butter. Stir gently with a spatula to emulsify.
4. When the ganache cools to 30°C (86°F), add the room-temperature butter and emulsify with a hand blender. Transfer to a container, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) touching the surface, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to crystallise.
5. For the chocolate madeleines: Sift together the flour, almonds, cocoa powder, cornflour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
6. In a bowl, warm the eggs, sugar, and honey to 30°C (86°F). Whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix gently for 30 seconds.
7. In a separate bowl, melt the dairy-free butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil and dark chocolate to 40°C (104°F). Add the warm fat mixture into the batter and whisk for 15 seconds until smooth.
8. Rest the batter for 30 minutes, or until cooled to 22°C (72°F).
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 210°C fan-forced (450°F/gas 9) and prepare your mould (see Note about mould choice below and tips on mould preparation here). Brush the moulds with melted dairy-free butter and dust lightly with cocoa powder.
10. Pipe mixture into the moulds, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C fan (400°F/gas 6) and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until risen and set. Let cool completely.
11. To finish: Once cooled, using a piping tip, poke the back of the madeleine three times equally, then pipe in the banana ganache.
12. Or, simply dip the madeleines into the ganache.

Notes

• For the banana purée and passionfruit purée, we used commercial fruit purées for consistency and repeatability. We’ve also tested the recipe using ripe fresh fruit, blended smooth, and it works well too.
• For the eggs: Crack the eggs into a heatproof bowl, lightly blend with a hand blender (just enough to combine), then strain through a sieve.
• The banana madeleines pictured here were made using a Chiyoda-brand banana-shaped mould, sourced from Japan, but you could use other shapes. This recipe can make 12 madeleines using a standard madeleine mould, or around 30 pieces when using the Chiyoda banana mould (which has much smaller cavities). Whatever the size of your mould, you want to fill the cavities 80 per cent full. Larger madeleines may need a longer baking time.
• If you’re working with only one mould, we recommend allowing it to cool slightly between batches before refilling, especially with metal moulds. Resting the batter briefly won’t cause issues. Our madeleine batters are designed to bake immediately, but they are also stable enough to rest briefly, either at room temperature or in the fridge if you’d like to prepare ahead. You may just need to adjust the baking time slightly.
• Every oven has its own ‘personality. If it’s your first time baking madeleines with a new recipe, mould or oven, we strongly recommend doing a small test batch of 2-3 madeleines first. Observe: how fast do they rise? Are they browning too quickly? Are they setting properly? Make small adjustments based on what you see.

This is an edited extract from Madeleines by Hyoju Park and Rong Yao Soh, published by Quadrille. Available in stores nationally from 24 February. Photography by Michael Gardenia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.