Madeleines with nut butter and coffee icing

There are certain desserts that are legendary – because of their shape, their unmistakable flavour, but also because their baking method is feared. Madeleines tick all of these boxes and we're often too daunted to make them ourselves. In reality, however, and with a few little tricks, we can also make these amazing desserts at home – and I'll explain how. For starters, you'll need a cast iron baking tin like the one in the picture. It's enough to grease it with butter – please don't use flour! This way you'll have no problems removing the madeleines from the tin. Many recipes recommend allowing the batter to stand in the fridge prior to baking – the subsequent shock of the heat in the oven is what creates the classic dome shape. You can do this if you like, but it's not necessary. Final tip: Fill the tin no more than half full. This kind of batter rises, so it's important not to overfill the tin, even if it doesn't look enough. Now you're ready to make your own madeleines at home!