One of my favourite things about my neighbourhood is the number of bakeries within a 10 minute walk. I can think of about 6 off the top of my head and another 4-5 if you extend the boundaries to a 15 minute walk. One of my favourite spots is a French bakery called Thobors. They have great croissants and wonderful beignets, among other things. One of my absolute favourite treats from there are the Financiers. A financiers is a small French cake usually made with almond flour or ground almonds. The version at Thobors is really heavy on the almonds and is really moist. I was craving them the other day and of course the shop was closed so I set out to make my own!
Surprisingly there are a lot of recipes out there for financiers. For the most part they are pretty similar. A bit of flour, ground almonds, brown butter and confectioners or regular sugar and egg whites. The proportions may vary a bit but they are generally pretty much in line. Interestingly enough I also stumbled upon many recipes for the Australian “Friand” which is like a financier but often includes fruits, chocolates or nuts.
The recipe that I ended up using from Patricia Wells because I figured she knows her stuff living in France and all. I’ve also coveted one of her cookbooks for a while now.
The financiers turned out well BUT they weren’t like my beloved financiers from Thobors. The financiers from Thobors are REALLY almondy and moist. They almost remind me of the inside of an almond croissant. These financiers, on the other hand were more cake-like with a bit of almond flavour. I think next time I’d add a bit of almond extract and maybe grind my own almonds. Trust me, these were delicious but just not quite what I was looking for.
Almond Cakes
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted, for buttering 21 financier molds
1 cup (140 g) finely ground almonds
1 2/3 cups (210 g) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup (70g) unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup (185 g) egg whites (5 to 6)
3/4 cup (6 ounces; 185 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Preheat the oven to 450°F(230°C).
With a pastry brush, use the 2 tablespoons melted butter to thoroughly butter the financier molds. Arrange them side by side, but not touching, on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the buttered molds in the freezer to resolidify the butter and make the financiers easier to unmold.
In a large bowl, combine the almonds, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix to blend. Add the egg whites and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the 3/4 cup butter and mix until thoroughly blended. The mixture will be fairly thin and pourable.
Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the rim. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake until the financiers just being to rise, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F(205°C). Bake until the financiers are a light, delicate brown and begin to firm up, about another 7 minutes. Turn off the oven heat and let the financiers rest in the oven until firm, about another 7 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the financiers cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold. (Note: Wash molds immediately with a stiff brush in hot water without detergent so that they retain their seasoning.) The financiers may be stored in an airtight container for several days.
(Recipe from The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris – Patricia Wells)
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They are delicious! I love them with cold milk. They are perfect for breakfast.