Financiers
Almond brown butter cakes
Financiers: little French brown-butter almond cakes from the Paris stock exchange
Financiers are small, rectangular almond cakes said to have been made in the 1890s by a pâtissier near the Paris Bourse, shaped like gold bars so stockbrokers could eat them without dirtying their gloves; today they are served with coffee all over France. Egg whites, ground almonds and nutty browned butter make a cake that is crisp at the edges and moist inside. The common mistake is not browning the butter enough, which loses the flavour. Chef's tip: cook the butter until it smells of hazelnuts and the specks at the bottom turn brown, then strain it.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz unsalted butter
- 2 ½ oz ground almonds
- 4 oz icing sugar
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- 3 egg whitesabout 100 g
- 1 pinch salt
- 12 raspberries (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Melt the 3 ½ oz unsalted butter in a small pan and cook until it foams, then turns golden brown and smells nutty, 4–5 minutes. Strain into a bowl and cool slightly.
5 minStep 2: Mix the 2 ½ oz ground almonds, 4 oz icing sugar, 1 ⅜ oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt, stir in the 3 egg whites until smooth, then the warm butter.
5 minStep 3: Rest the batter 30 minutes in the fridge if you have time. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) and butter 12 financier or mini muffin moulds.
Step 4: Fill the moulds three-quarters full, press in a 12 raspberries if you like, and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden at the edges and springy in the middle. Cool for 5 minutes before turning out.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does financiers take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
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