Mini Financiers
A small, buttery almond cake that melts in your mouth, these financiers are just as delicious as those found in a French patisserie. With a light and delicate crumb, they’re the perfect afternoon snack or morning coffee paring.
Financiers are one of the most famous French pastries. Made with nuts, browned butter, egg whites, and powdered sugar, a classic financier has a crisp exterior that surrounds an incredibly delicate and moist interior. With trips to Paris on pause, ease your wanderlust (and sweet tooth) with this financier recipe.
A financier is a small French pastry traditionally made with ground almonds and brown butter. They are often baked in small, rectangular molds to be individually sized. For at-home ease, in this financier recipe I use a mini muffin pan to bake these in but you can use a financier pan (just adjust the baking time if needed) if you have one.
There are several theories on where the name came from. One thought is that the name derived from the cake’s resemblance to a bar of gold when baked in rectangular form. Another theory is that it’s named for finance industry workers who needed a dessert that wouldn’t mess up their suits when picking up an afternoon snack. Either way, the financier cake name stuck and so too did these delicious cakes.
Ingredients:
- 7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/8 cups (130g) powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup (60g) almond meal (almond flour)
- 6 tablespoons (50g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 large (140g) egg whites
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
- Raspberries, optional