10 French Pastries You’ll Never Get Enough Of

7. Madeleine

A small, shell-shaped sponge cake with a soft, buttery texture and a light, airy crumb, traditionally flavored with lemon or vanilla. Baked in special molds to achieve their distinctive shape, madeleines are great with tea or coffee. They were made famous by Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time - la madeleine de Proust symbolize a sensory experience, such as a taste or smell, that unexpectedly brings back vivid memories from the past.