Kinako Madeleine

These small sponge cakes, baked in traditional shell-shaped madeleine moulds, were created in the 17th century by a French cook called Madeleine Simonin. Madeleine created the recipe in 1661 in the kitchens of a cardinal’s residency in the city of Commercy in the northeast of France. The cardinal was so delighted with the little cakes he christened them ‘madeleine’ after his cook.