One of the first things I learned to make at Restaurant Daniel was a madeleine, and I fell for the buttery, citrusy flavor. I wanted to find a way to use the little cake as part of a plated dessert, without making the classic seashell form. So I worked on the recipe, adapting it until I captured the texture and flavor of a fresh-baked madeleine in a sponge cake baked in a sheet pan.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 9 x 12-inch sheet cake (or one 8-inch round)

　　1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon (226g) all-purpose flour

　　2 teaspoons (8g) coarse salt

　　2 1/4 teaspoons (9g) baking powder

　　1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225g) sugar

　　Grated zest of 2 lemons

　　4 large eggs

　　2 tablespoons (30g) whole milk

　　Juice of 3 lemons

　　6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted

　　Scant 1/2 cup (140g) honey

　　

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400°F or 375°F on convection. Line a 9 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment and spray it lightly with cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together.

　　

Step 3

Put the sugar, zest, and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the milk and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add the lemon juice, butter, and honey one by one, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl after each addition. Beat at high speed until the batter is light.

　　

Step 4

Spread the batter evenly into the baking pan. Bake until the cake just starts to color, 6 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

　　

Step 5

Let cool.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__