Financier

Financiers

Tiny French almond tea cakes from Paris, browned with nutty beurre noisette and baked in small rectangular molds. Crisp at the edges, tender and almost fudge-like in the center.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

12 financiers

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •120 g (1 cup) ground almonds (almond flour), finely ground, blanched if possible
• •150 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the molds
• •120 g (⅔ cup) icing sugar, sifted; classic financiers use powdered sugar, not granulated
• •50 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour, plain flour
• •4 whole egg whites (about 130 g), from large eggs; save yolks for another use
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt, balances the sweetness
• •1 tsp vanilla extract, optional, but traditional
• •30 g (2 tbsp) sliced almonds, for topping, optional

Steps

1. 1 Make the brown butter (beurre noisette): Melt the butter in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often. Watch closely as it foams, then subsides. Continue cooking until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5–7 minutes total. Immediately scrape it (including all the brown bits) into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Cool to lukewarm but still liquid, about 10 minutes.
2. 2 Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Brush financier molds (or a 12-cup mini muffin tin) thoroughly with softened butter and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. This step is essential for the crisp crust and clean release.
3. 3 In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt just until slightly foamy and broken up; do not beat to stiff peaks.
4. 4 Sift the icing sugar and flour together over the bowl, then add the ground almonds. Whisk gently with a spatula until just combined and smooth, with no dry streaks.
5. 5 Stir in the vanilla, then pour in the warm brown butter in a thin stream, folding continuously until the batter is glossy and uniform. Keep the batter slightly warm so the butter stays emulsified.
6. 6 Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared molds, filling each about three-quarters full. Smooth the tops and, if using, sprinkle a few sliced almonds on each.
7. 7 Bake on the middle rack for 12–15 minutes, until the financiers are deeply golden on top, risen, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a moist crumb. The internal temperature should reach about 92°C / 198°F.
8. 8 Let the financiers rest in the molds for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. They are best eaten the day they are baked, when the edges are crisp and the inside is soft and moist.