Almond financiers are little French cakes that are the perfect size for a treat with your favourite hot drink or just a quick snack.
They are rather like friands and madeleines, in that they all have their own signature French shape, small but perfectly formed for popping into the mouth without any mess!
They have a rich buttery taste, as they are made with browned butter, and are light and fluffy, with a crisp outer edge.
Extremely moist and delicious, these little morsels will disappear very quickly.
As they are made from storecupboard ingredients, you will soon be whipping up a second batch!
Bon appétit!
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There are a number of rumours regarding the origins of financiers.
They were originally known as visitandine, after an order of nuns in the 17th century.
The name changed to financier in the 19th century to describe the shape of the cakes, which were cooked in a mould reminiscent of a small bar of gold.
However, another idea is that the cake become popular in the financial district of Paris as a cake you could tuck in your pocket. This area is known as La Défense today.
Financiers are quite robust on the outside, with the egg white giving it a crisp outside shell. They are enriched with browned butter or beurre noisette, which gives them a luxurious taste.
Perhaps the French financiers of the past were quite secretive with the their snacks! Who knows?
Why you will love this dish
- Storecupboard ingredients.
- Easy to make.
- Bite sized cakes for portion control.
- Moist on the inside with a crispy outer layer.
- Perfect tea break snack.
🥘 Ingredients
- Eggs - the egg whites from large free range eggs.
- Butter - salted or unsalted. If you use salted butter leave out the additional salt.
- Salt - cooking salt.
- Almonds - ground almonds for the cake batter and flaked or slivered almonds for the decoration.
- Flour - plain or all purpose flour.
- Sugar - caster sugar or fine sugar.
- Vanilla - vanilla extract rather than essence.
- Baking powder
💭 Top Tip for separating egg whites
- I normally store my eggs at room temperature, but if you put your eggs in the fridge for an hour or so before you are ready to bake, then they will be easier to separate.
- Separate each egg putting the yolk and whites in separate bowls then add the whites to tour mixing bowl as you go. This makes it easier in case you come across a bad egg without wasting the rest
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- saucepan
- sieve
- muslin or kitchen paper
- whisk or fork
- silicon financier mould / mini muffin tin /small cake tin
- jug
- bowl
- wooden spoon
🔪 Instructions
How to make browned butter
Place the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
💭 Top Tip
- It helps to use a saucepan with a metal interior rather than non stick as it's important to be able to see the butter solids turn brown.
If it is particularly cold, cut it into pieces first to speed up the melting process.
As it comes to a simmer foam will build up on the surface.
This will take a few minutes.
The foam will clear and the milk solids will sink to the bottom of the saucepan.
There will be a nutty toasted aroma when this happens.
At this point you don't want to continue cooking the butter as it will burn.
Remove from the heat and quickly pour through a sieve lined with muslin or kitchen paper, into a bowl or jug to catch the milk solids.
Measure out 80 ml, (2.7 fluid ounces), of butter for the recipe.
Use any leftover butter to grease the financier moulds.
Place the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt if using into a large bowl and mix.
Make a well in the centre for the liquid ingredients.
Put the egg whites in a bowl and give them a quick whisk to break them up.
Use a metal spoon to fold in the browned butter, vanilla and egg whites.
You should have a smooth butter that is quite wet. I find it's easier to pour this mixture into a jug.
Pour the batter in the financier moulds until they almost reach the top.
⏲️ Baking Time
Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the batter.
Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6 and bake for between 10 and 20 minutes. This is really dependent on the types of moulds you use.
The almond financiers should be well risen, brown on the edges and springy to the touch.
If you are using a silicon mould allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes, then they should easily pop out to finish cooling on a wire rack.
🥗 Serve with
- Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
- Flapjacks
- Melting Moments
- Ginger Cake
- Cheese and Bacon Scones
- Cream Tea Scones
- Madeira Cake
- Salted Caramel Mille Feuille
- Nutella Macarons
- Sable Biscuits
- Cardamon and Lime Madeleines
- Cake Salé
Substitutions
- Caster sugar - use golden caster sugar or normal granulated sugar.
📖 Variations
- Gluten free- replace the plain flour with cornflour, almond flour or a gluten free mix.
- Browned butter - if you prefer then just melt the butter. They won't be true financiers but they will still taste delicious!
Storage
- Room temperature - store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezer - freeze for up to 6 months.
FAQs
Firands are typically made in a round or oval shape and can be made with nuts and decorated with fuits. They are also made with just melted butter.
Financiers are traditionally made with ground almonds and browned butter in the classic gold bar shape.
Almond flour is blanched almonds that have been very finely milled to a powder.
Almond meal or ground almonds tends to be unblanched almonds that are not finely ground.
In France you can also buy superfine ground almonds to use for making macarons
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More French desserts you may like to try
📋 Recipe
Almond Financiers
Equipment
- saucepan
- sieve
- muslin or kitchen paper
- Whisk or fork
- silicon financier mould / mini muffin tin /small cake tin
- jug
- Bowl
- wooden spoon
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 115 g butter
- 40 g flour plain or all purpose
- 60 g ground almonds
- 100 g caster sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt leave out if using salted butter
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 20 g flaked almonds
Instructions
- Place the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until melted and foamy.
- When the foam starts to clear, and you can see the milk solids turn brown and sink to the bottom, remove from the heat.
- Quickly pour through a sieve lined with muslin or kitchen paper, into a bowl or jug to catch the milk solids.
- Measure out 80 ml, (2.7 fluid ounces), of butter for the recipe.
- Use any leftover butter to grease the financier moulds.
- Place the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, sugar and salt if using into a large bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre.
- Put the egg whites in a bowl and give them a quick whisk. Use a metal spoon to fold in the browned butter, vanilla and egg whites.
- Pour the batter in the financier moulds until they almost reach the top and sprinkle the flaked almonds over.
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6 and bake for between 10 and 20 minutes. The almond financiers should be well risen, brown on the edges and springy to the touch.
- If you are using a silicon mould allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes, then they should easily pop out to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Notes
- It helps to use a saucepan with a metal interior rather than non-stick as it's important to be able to see the butter solids turn brown.
- I find it's easier to pour the cake batter into a jug to pour into the financier moulds..
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
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Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to read them and answer your questions. However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Mahy
I think I could eat a ton of these and still not feel guilty about it. Fantastic recipe!
Katherine
The perfect financiers! I love the classic almond flavor.
Natalie
These almond dessert bites are a delicious French treat. I really can`t go wrong with your recipes, thank you!
Charla
How cute are these almond financiers, as an almond lover, this recipe is something I would try in a heartbeat!!
kushigalu
Love almond flavor. This looks so delciious. Thanks for sharing.
Mindy Fewless
These are so cute and perfect for gifts as well!
Claudia Lamascolo
What great flavors we love almonds and that mold is perfect I really like to use silicone when baking!
Heather
Oh I have always wanted to try making financiers! They look so cute and delicate. Can't wait to try this almond version.
Juliane
My mom loved this a lot! Made this with her yesterday.
Beth
Those look so adorable and they sound so delicious. I love almonds so I can't wait to try this one.
Shelley
I've actually never made financiers before, but this recipe is the perfect place for me to start! I adore both almond and brown butter flavors - and I'm excited how easy this recipe is. I would've thought it would be more finicky to make such a revered classic - but you make it so simple - thank you!
Katherine
These are perfect for a tea party! I adore the flavor of almond - perfect in these delicate cakes!
Helen
I love that almond flavour - so delicious and perfect with a morning cuppa 🙂
Ieva
I used to love Financiers when I lived close to one of the Ottolenghi Delis in London. So glad to have found this recipe because it reminds me of those so much! Absolutely recommend NOT to skip the step where you brown the butter! These are truly delicious! 🙂