Financiers

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In Summer 2018, I attended the Women's Cricket World Cup final at Lords. England v India – England were the victors – it was a brilliant match played by some very talented women. Whilst watching the game my girlfriend Jo produced a GAIL's bag (my eyes lit up!) with 4 Raspberry Financiers – oh my they were delicious!

I had eaten financiers numerous times, however I had never made them. I was curious how they were made. I researched and tried numerous recipes. David Lebovitz recipe was my favorite. I was also moved by the story, how he had been given the recipe by chef Fabrice Le Bardat from Blé Sucré in Paris.  Before I had even tried the recipe, I was enchanted... I am a big fan of Davids, I like his wit and writing style. Hes a very talented pastry chef, author and blogger. I will be sure to visit Blé Sucré on my next trip to Paris to see where this recipe originated. Adapted from David Lebovitz – My Paris Kitchen pg 268.

Financiers are a small French cake, traditionally they were baked in tins shaped like a small gold bullion, however I bake my financiers in my mini muffin tins. Financiers are a mixture of ground almonds, egg whites, icing sugar, flour and beurre noisette (brown butter or nut butter as its smells like hazelnuts) which adds another dimension to the flavour. The cake itself is not overly sweet despite the inclusion of icing sugar. They have a firm exterior almost crisp due to the egg whites. yet the Texture is light due to the almond meal. The mixture can be made in advance, refrigerated and used within 2 days. It’s wonderful as you don’t have to cook the entire batch at once.  

The cake itself is a wonderful vessel for flavours such as fruit, chocolate, coffee, seeds or preserves. You could also substitute the almond meal for ground hazelnuts, walnuts or pistachios. Financiers can also be iced… I experimented with fresh and frozen raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Citrus zest, poppy seeds, the beurre noisette solids and preserves.

My favourite combination was the beurre noisette with Tiptree Strawberry Little Scarlet preserve - the jam is outrageously good and marries with the beurre noisette flavour exceptionally well. This was followed closely by the lemon zest and poppy seed. When you bake the financiers with fresh or frozen berries, there is a small amount of moisture surrounding the fruit inside the financier, as a consequence the shelf life is reduced and more importantly for me - I was not so keen on the texture as a result. Using the jam and lemon and poppy seed combinations the flavour really popped – they were divine! Try for yourself – which do you prefer?

Gluten Free? By simply substituting the plain flour for a plain gluten free flour, you will have sensational gluten free financiers. Follow the recipe and method below, simply substitute the flour.

Bake 180°C/ 350°F – 12-14 mins until golden brown. Makes 24 mini muffin size financiers.

Ingredients

100g ground almonds (almond meal)

130g icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

60g plain flour (all purpose)

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt (I use Maldon sea salt crushed between by fingers)

115g unsalted butter

125ml egg whites (I use 2 Chicks however you can use whites from 4 large eggs)

Method

  1. Weigh out all the ingredients.
  2. Melt the butter to make the beurre noisette, click here for a demonstration. 
  3. In a mixing bowl, sieve the almond meal, icing sugar, flour, baking powder, salt.  Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk until combined.
  4. Add the egg white to the flour mixture and gently stir in the egg white until combined.
  5. Once the butter has cooled down, you can add the melted butter to the mixture and stir to combine. If you dont want to use the butter solids, you can spoon the butter into the batter. I love the flavour from the milk solids so I include them.
  6. You can bake the financiers immediately or you can play some cling film over the top of the batter so it's lightly touching (to avoid a skin forming and the batter drying out and you can refrigerate the batter and use it within 2 days. 

Baking the financiers

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F. Grease your muffin pan, I use a light sunflower oil spray. It leaves a light film enabling the financier to release from the non stick tin with ease. .
  2. Fill each indent so its just over 3/4 ‘s full with the batter. Then using a small teaspoon (I use an old mustard spoon) make small indents in the center of the cake batter, this is where you will spoon the jam. I tease the batter to the side, you can see an example in the photos to the right if your unsure...
  3. Using a small teaspoon place spoonfuls of the preserve or whatever flavoring you have decided to use into the indents. Do not overfill as it will bubble and ooze out the top and onto the tin which will make it a little difficult to remove. 
  4. Place the tray on the middle rack in a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them… Once they are golden brown and spring back to the touch they are cooked. Remove the tray from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
  5. Once cool to the touch (5 minutes) gently remove them from the cake tin using a small knife to help release them. If the jam has bubbled around the side of the tin, use the tip of the knife to ease it away.
  6. They are incredibly delicious.  They can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days, you can also keep some batter in the fridge for up to 2 days and bake them fresh. 

Top Tips

  • Make the beurre noisette first to ensure it has time to cool down.
  • Make a small well to house the jam, to ensure it does not bubble out of the financier and onto the tin.
  • Do not over mix the batter, simply mix to combine.

 

Bon appétit!