{"id":193784,"date":"2025-04-20T01:23:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T01:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/baking-category-a-b\/pudding-lane-a-london-baking-blog-23\/"},"modified":"2025-04-20T01:23:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T01:23:52","slug":"pudding-lane-a-london-baking-blog-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=193784","title":{"rendered":"Pudding Lane – A London baking blog"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There are few sweet treats more delicate or elegant than French macaroons. These almond meringue sandwiches are not always easy to get right, but that first perfect batch will make all the effort worth it. To celebrate National Macaroon Day, I’ve partnered with Lakeland<\/a> <\/b>to share my top tips for perfect macaroons, every time. <\/p>\n

Tips for macaroon\u00a0success –<\/i><\/b>
Begin with your mis en place<\/i><\/b>, which means getting everything ready and in its place before you start baking. Line your baking sheets with paper, draw out your guide line circles (if using), and weigh all of your ingredients out before you begin mixing. <\/p>\n

Measure<\/i><\/b> your ingredients precisely. For a mixture so delicate, even a couple of grams over or under can distort the texture of the batter. I really recommend investing in a good set of digital scales, such as these<\/b><\/a>, for baking.<\/p>\n

Ensure that your egg whites are at room temperature,<\/i><\/b> and don\u2019t be scared to mix<\/i><\/b> the dry ingredients into the whisked egg whites. While you don\u2019t want to knock all of the air out, you do need to ensure everything is smooth and well incorporated. Under-mixed macaron will appear grainy, so keep mixing until your mixture is supple and shiny. <\/p>\n

Use a <\/i><\/b>disposable piping bag<\/i><\/b> <\/a>to pipe your macaroon shells. This will allow you to create neat, round disks, which I find impossible to achieve by hand! You can also use a piping bag to fill your macarons with ganache, buttercream, jam or jelly. <\/p>\n

\nFinally, be patient and ensure that the shells have time to rest and have formed a \u2018skin\u2019 before you bake them. This will give your baked macaron a smooth, shiny surface, and allow the batter time to develop the characteristic \u2018foot\u2019 to the finished macaron. Good luck! Tag me in your pictures over on Instagram<\/a>,<\/b>\u00a0Facebook and Twitter – find me @puddinglaneblog.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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\nTHE INGREDIENTS<\/p>\n

\n175g icing sugar<\/p>\n

\n125g ground almonds<\/p>\n

\n75g caster sugar<\/p>\n

\n3 large egg whites<\/p>\n

\npinch of salt<\/p>\n

\n80g butter<\/p>\n

\n250g icing sugar<\/p>\n

\nApproximately 200g raspberries<\/p>\n

\nTHE RECIPE<\/p>\n

\nNow is the time for precision. Preheat your oven to 130C. Line 4 baking trays with baking parchment, and mark 3cm circles on the other side of the paper (this feels tedious but you’ll thank me later). Weigh out the almonds and the icing sugar exactly, then pass through a sieve to ensure the mixture is an even consistency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nClean a separate mixing bowl using half a lemon (this is to ensure any specs of dirt are removed). Add the egg whites and the salt to the cleaned bowl, then whisk into soft peaks. Once the whites are stiff enough to hold their shape, add the caster sugar 1 tsp at a time, whisking in between each spoonful to ensure the sugar is dissolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAdd in the icing sugar and almond mixture. Using a plastic spatula, fold the two mixes together. Do this gently – you want to remove some of the air but not all of it, so it’s better to mix slowly. The mixture is ready when it is shiny, combined and falls off the spatula into a ribbon consistency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSpoon the mixture into a plastic piping bag. Snip off the end, then pipe the mixture onto the prepared trays, using the circles you drew to ensure that each shell is the same size. Once the shells are piped, you need to leave them to rest, so that they can form a skin which will protect them from cracking when they rise in the oven. I leave mine for an hour to be safe, but they’re ready once you can touch them lightly and not leave a mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. The shells are ready when you can peel them off the paper. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nTo make the filling, whisk the butter to soften then slowly add the icing sugar. Once the two are combined into a sandy texture, then add a raspberry at a time, whisking in-between, until the mixture takes on a stiff buttercream texture. This will be between 5-10 berries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCut the remaining raspberries in half. To sandwich, spread a layer of butter cream on a macaron, then place half a raspberry in the centre and top with a second macaron.<\/p>\n

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\nThe post was written in affinity with\u00a0Lakeland but all views are – and always are – entirely my own.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n