Financier French cakes
The financier is pronounced as fee-nahn-see-AY. These are small French cakes and often show up on petit four plates in formal French tea parties. They are baked in tiny round, or rectangle or sometimes boat-shaped fluted molds.
They are bite size light tea cakes with a very interesting contrasting texture; the crisp tops with perfectly soft and moist centre makes them very different from the regular tea time cakes.
Financier French cakes
The almond flour and the brown caramelised butter used in the making of financier gives a beautiful nutty flavour to these. It a must try recipe and also very easy to make. Financier is best served warm.
The story behind the origin of financier makes it a very interesting recipe as well. It is said that a chef named Lasne, back in 1980, started making financiers for the people who deal with money “The finance”. His bakery was next to Paris Stock Exchange and his clients consisted largely of brokers etc. This was a well thought recipe so the texture and the size of the cake was not messy for the walk-ins to the bakery. Another interesting note here is that ; he use to bake financiers in rectangular molds to resemble gold bars.
Financier French cakes
It’s a simple almond cake, leavened by egg whites, moistened with caramelised browned butter and is exquisitely refined. It is springy, sweet and nutty with an exterior that is crisp and you bite into the soft interior. Caution is you can get over indulged.
The Financier will not be an elaborated recipe that will make you go nuts – its simple and does not require any fancy equipment. But still some points below would be of help. Just go through them before you head towards the recipe:
The authentic financier baked in bar shape would have been more accurate; but I did not have the bar shaped silicon baking tray. And yes! It is good idea to bake financier in silicon trays. Number 1. Its gonna be a sticky batter and when the baked cakes cool down they can stick to the sides of the tray. Number 2. And if you keep the paper cups in the baking tray you won’t be able to take out a clean cake of the paper cup either. Try not to be rigid about the shape, just go with the silicon molds you have at home and enjoy the flavors treat.
Browning the butter, is what defines the flavor and adds depth to the financier. You need to heat the butter until it begins to brown and smell nutty. It is best to do this slowly on a low flame and to keep a careful eye on it. Once butter begins to brown, it turns quickly and burns easily. Remove it the moment it attains the color of a chestnut. Be watchful of undercooked and over cooking of butter. Under cooking will lack the necessary aroma. When the butter has got the required aroma and color; pour through a strainer which is lined with an extra cheesecloth. Make sure you are not letting any brown bits enter through the strainer. Let cool to room temperature completely before adding in to the flour mix.
We will be using only egg whites for this recipe. Keep the leftover yolks for making custard . And remember not to over mix the batter. If you stir too much, the gluten in the flour will get overworked and the cake will be tough.
The best part of this recipe is that the batter can be made and kept before time. A few hours in the refrigerator, and the flavors will harmonize and the batter will firm up, making it easier to pipe into molds.
About using almond flour; If you use almond flour, the cake will be finer but denser. If you grind your almonds, it will be coarser and rustic. I prefer grinding, the roughness of home-ground almonds and flecks of almond skin give the cakes a kind of soulful intensity.
Regarding the flavouring of financier; feel free to go according to your choice and availability of ingredients. I used dried figs and pistachio. To give you some ideas – strawberries, cranberries, coconut, apricots, chocolate, raspberries or even fruit preserves work very well. I remember a chef making Matcha financier.
Financier French cakes
Ingredients
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds or almond meal
A pinch of salt
3/4th cup of icing sugar sifted
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter 113gm
Dried figs and pistachio flakes
Method
Preheat the oven to 400* F (200* C) with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Prepare a silicon tray with tiny bit of butter brushed in the cavities of a baking tray. Place the figs and pistachio on the bottom.
To prepare the butter – Place the butter in a small thick bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted let it come to a boil, swirling the pan occasionally as you see the form appearing on the top. Continue to cook the butter until it looks clear and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pan and have turned golden brown. Remove from heat and pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Let cool to room temperature.
You will need 1/3 cup (80 ml) of brown butter.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt. Lightly beat the egg whites using a whisk. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and fold in the lightly beaten egg whites, vanilla, and cool brown butter.
Fill each cavity of the baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes until the Financiers have become golden brown around the edges and are springy to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
These are best eaten warm from the oven, and enjoy with family.
Financier French cakes
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