Blueberry Almond Financiers
A lightly crisp top, a moist center and a subtle nuttiness are what make Financiers a French favorite! These little cakes made of ground almonds with beurre-noisette and fluffy egg whites are a staple of the French baking repertoire – and for very good reasons. They’re quick and easy to make, and adaptable to any season or fixings. With fresh blueberries and crisp almond shavings, these Blueberry Almond Financiers are one of my favorite Summer twists on these marvelous little cakes. The Origin of the Financiers Originally oval in shape,…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 cup + 1/2 tbsp (125g) unsalted butter (made into “beurre-noisette” – see cooking note)
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (80g) Ground Almonds
- 1 cup (125g) Icing Sugar
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (50g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 large egg whites
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup shaved almond
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- 2
Pre-heat your oven to 340F (170C) with a rack in the middle. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter.
- 3
Step 1 - Make the beurre-noisette (see cooking note) and set aside to let it cool to room temperature.
- 4
Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, icing sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
- 5
Step 3 - In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff peak. Sprinkle 1/3 of the dry ingredients over the egg whites and fold in gently with a spatula. When barely combined, sprinkle another third of the dry ingredients and fold again. Repeat with the last third of the dry ingredients. When combined, fold in the almond extract and the beurre-noisette. Stop folding when just combined.
- 6
Carefully transfer the batter to the 12-cup muffin pan and gently smooth out the top with the spatula.
- 7
Step 4 - Sprinkle a few blueberries on top of each financier. Just barely push on the blueberries to keep them in place (not too much, they will sink in the batter when baking). Sprinkle some almond shavings on top.
- 8
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on the edges. Let cool 15 minutes before carefully removing the financier from the tins (use a pointy knife). Transfer to a cooling rack.
- 9