During my visit to Paris, I had the pleasure of tasting the classic French madeleine, a small, spongy lemony cake known for its distinct shell shape.
Food historians believe that madeleines are named after Madeleine Paulmier, a young servant girl who offered her recipe in 1755 to Stanislas Leczinski, the king of Poland, after the main chef became angry and left the kitchen in the middle of a feast.
Once I came back to Saudi Arabia, I was surprised to find that one of Alkhobar’s bakeries, Deema’s Bakery, specialized in offering madeleines with a Saudi twist.
The bakery fuses bold Middle Eastern flavors with European desserts. Its madeleines come in seven flavors: lemon and cardamom, saffron, rahash (made with tahini), ginger honey, orange, coconut, and chocolate fudge.
Deema’s Bakery offers another variation to the original recipe for madeleines, adding cinnamon and chocolate to some of the cakes, giving them a color that is darker than the original light golden tone.
The bakery also has other offerings, such as brownies and chocolate fudge with peanut butter.
I was curious about all the flavors, so I picked the mixed box containing the bakery’s many madeleine varieties. The box is ideal for gatherings or as gifts.
Deema’s Bakery supplies over 20 coffee shops in the Eastern Province, and it also takes individual orders. For more details and information, visit the Instagram page @chef.deema.
