To Make the Batter

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Let it cool completely before using.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar using a handheld mixer at medium speed until pale and almost triple in volume.  It takes around 4-5 minutes.
3. Add in milk and vanilla extract.  Give it a quick mix.
4. Place a sieve on top of the mixing bowl, sift in the cake flour, black sesame powder, baking powder and salt.  You may need to use a spatula to press the black sesame powder through the sieve. Mix at medium low speed until well combined.
5. Keep the mixer on and gradually pour in the cooled melted butter and mix until everything is incorporated.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and the bottom to make sure everything is well mixed.
6. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

To Bake the Madeleines

1. Preheat the oven to 210℃ fan (400℉).
2. Grease the well of each mould with softened butter (not melted) and freeze the pan for about 15 minutes (even though your pan is non-stick, still do this).  If you are not using a non-stick pan, grease the pan with butter and dust the wells lightly with flour.
3. When you are ready to bake, remove the batter from the fridge. Using a spatula, mix to loosen the batter and remove the air bubbles.
4. Transfer the batter into a piping bag.  Start piping the batter into the frozen moulds until 90% full. Alternatively, you can simply spoon the batter into the moulds.
5. Place the filled madeleine pan into the preheated oven (210℃ fan /400℉) for 5 minutes, then immediately reduce the oven temperature to 190°C fan (375℉) and continue baking for another 5-6 minutes, or until the cake bodies are puffed up and the edges are golden.
6.  While they’re still warm, or as soon as you can handle the heat, gently flip the madeleines out of the cavities and rest them at an angle on their crispy edges. This helps avoid squashing the delicate shell pattern or the iconic hump.
7. Cool completely before decorating.

To Coat the Madeleines with Chocolate (optional)

1. Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat proof bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then take it out to stir.  Then microwave it for a few 15-second bursts until completely melted.  In order to keep it liquified, place the bowl in a big bowl of warm water (otherwise it re-sets very quickly).
2. Decide how many colours you want for your chocolate shell bases and then take a small amount of white chocolate for each and colour using oil-based food colouring.
3. Next, make sure the madeleine moulds are warm.  I use a hair dryer to do this.
4. Spoon or pipe about 1 teaspoon of melted/coloured white chocolate into each mould of the madeleine pan.
5. Place a (cooled) madeleine, shell-side down, on top of the chocolate. Gently press and wiggle slightly so the chocolate spreads evenly across the shell.
6. Leave the madeleine sitting in the mould and repeat for the rest.
7. Transfer the whole pan to the freezer for 15 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely set.
8. Once set firm, simply push the madeleines out of the pan—the bottoms (shell-sided) should be coated in a crisp layer of chocolate.  If a madeleine doesn’t release with gentle pressure, don’t force it. Return it to the freezer for a few more minutes, then try again.

To Decorate the Madeleines with Royal Icing (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine icing sugar and meringue powder.
2. Add a few tablespoons of water and beat until the mixture becomes glossy, shiny, and nearly doubles in volume.
3. Adjust the consistency as needed:  add a little more water to thin out or add extra icing sugar to thicken.
4. Divide the icing into bowls and mix in gel food colouring to achieve your desired colours.
5. Once your royal icing is ready, transfer it to piping bags and begin decorating your madeleines as desired.