Madeleines

Whisk eggs and sugar. Whisk the eggs, caster sugar, honey, lemon zest and salt together for 4-5 minutes, until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume. This long whisking stage builds the air bubbles that give madeleines their light sponge.

Fold in flour. Sift the flour and baking powder over the whisked mixture and fold in gently. Folding, rather than stirring vigorously, keeps the air you've just whisked in from collapsing.

Fold in butter. Fold in the warm melted butter in two additions, mixing until glossy. Adding it warm helps it combine evenly without weighing down the batter.

Chill the batter. Cover and chill the batter for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. A cold, rested batter meeting a hot oven is exactly what produces the signature humped back on a madeleine.

Prepare the metal tin. Brush the moulds of the metal madeleine tin with soft butter, dust with flour and tap out the excess, then chill the tin. A metal tin heats quickly and evenly, and this buttered-and-floured coating helps each cake turn out cleanly with sharp shell markings.

Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) for at least 20 minutes before baking. A properly hot oven creates the sharp contrast in temperature that drives the hump.

Fill and bake. Spoon 1 level tablespoon of cold batter into each mould, filling them about three-quarters full, without spreading it out. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until humped, golden at the edges, and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Unmould and repeat. Tap the madeleines out of the tin straight away onto a wire rack, as they stick if left to cool in the moulds. Re-butter and flour the tin, then repeat with any remaining chilled batter.

Dust and serve. Dust the cooled madeleines with icing sugar just before serving. They're at their best within a few hours of baking, while the edges are still a little crisp.