Thursday, February 17, 2011

My Favorite Financiers {2 ways}

These things are quite possibly one of my favorite things to bake ever. They are so deceptive. Look at them, just look at them. Those pretty little cakes above have much more to them then meets the eye. You might just cast them off as your typical tea cake but please, let's not be quite to judge.
These financiers are born from the beauty that is beurre noisette aka brown butter. Brown butter is one of the best things to ever encounter your kitchen. Once you smell the stuff, you're in heaven and once you taste it in sweets, it's a trip! Mixed with the nuttiness of ground almonds and fresh blackberries, it really makes a spectacular treat. 


My favorite part about these cakes are that they are gluten free. Gluten free you say? Heck I'm all for gluten, I love it but, this recipe uses rice flour in place of regular to make it gluten free. If you haven't tried rice flour before, give it a try! It makes delicious things like coconut mochi cake, daifuku and strawberry mochi cupcakes. I love the chewiness of it and it adds to the texture of these financiers in the most spectacular way. I love it so!


Honestly though, these little cakes are good with anything you can imagine. Here, I have them with blackberries and apricots. But I've tried them with rhubarb and with pears + pistachio. Every single time, they've come out spectacular and I can't get enough out of them. I can't wait to try them with tons of other add-ins. I'm dreaming of sweet cherries, earl grey tea, and raspberries!



Blackberry & Vanilla Bean Financiers
Yields: 12 financiers
Adapted from here.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
pinch of salt
4 large egg whites
1 cup blackberries, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 375 F and position the rack in the center. Lightly spray or butter the inside of 12 financier molds or muffin cups with cooking spray and place them on a baking sheet, set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until it turns into a rich hazelnut brown color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before straining it to remove the little dark butter particles at the bottom of the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the powdered sugar, ground almonds, flour and salt on low speed until just combined. Add the egg whites and mix until all the ingredients are coming together. Add the brown butter, increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Divide the batter among the molds and divide the blackberries evenly among the top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.






Sugared Apricot Financiers
Yields: 12 financiers
Adapted from here.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
pinch of salt
4 large egg whites
2 -3 apricots, washed, pitted and sliced into wedges
turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 F and position the rack in the center. Lightly spray or butter the inside of 12 financier molds or muffin cups with cooking spray and place them on a baking sheet, set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until it turns into a rich hazelnut brown color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before straining it to remove the little dark butter particles at the bottom of the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the powdered sugar, ground almonds, flour and salt on low speed until just combined. Add the egg whites and mix until all the ingredients are coming together. Add the brown butter, increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Divide the batter among the molds and divide the apricot slices evenly among the top. Sprinkle with a generous amount of turbinado sugar and Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.


Aren't they just stunning?!

11 comments:

  1. These photographs are absolutely stunning... I love those sweet pink flowers. Your financiers look divine... I go weak for anything buttery :)

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  2. Wow, breathtaking. Your photos are beautiful! I would so love some of these financiers. I have a bunch of almond flour at home and I've been wondering what to make with them.

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  3. Your financiers looks so elegant and cute! I haven't yet tried the gluten free version yet. I've got to try it soon. I'm sure I'll love it since I love anything with sweet rice flour.

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  4. Michelle you rock! I love that first shot of the apricot financiers ... can you believe I've never had a fiancier before? I'm going to give this recipe I try this weekend :)

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  5. These look so delicious. I am bookmarking this recipe to make soon! The rhubarb flavor intrigues me. Gorgeous photos, as always.

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  6. I love financiers too although I haven't experimented with putting fruit in them much. My financiers usually have a different shape - I really like the shape of yours..

    Plus, you're so right about the texture of these. Delicious!

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  7. These are definitely stunning. I've been wanting to make financiers for quite some time!

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  8. @ foodie & the chef: buttery gets me every time ;)

    @ roxan: you have to make these!! they are by far the best use of almond flour i've found yet - besides macarons, which are a bit tougher to master!

    @ kirbie: seriously, rice flour rocks doesn't it?!

    @ joy: i can't!! you have the most delicious looking recipes out there :)

    @ sara: the rhubarb version was one of my absolute favorites! it was my first time trying rhubarb too :)

    @ brittany: thanks! i don't have the traditional financier molds so i just used mini tartlette pans - they seemed to work for me!

    @ smalltownoven: please do! they're awesome.

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  9. It's really impossible to choose a favorite. Can I have one of each? ;p

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  10. stumbled onto your site and have been ogling your beautiful recipes since. love what i've seen of your work so far!

    financiers are my FAVORITES. they're huge here in australia - you see them at almost every coffee house and bakery. i'll definitely be trying out the apricot ones. so much more than just a typical tea cake :)

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  11. I just tried these out this weekend. Finally got around to it after your post. I loved the recipe! the financiers came out so pretty and they tasted so delicious! I can't wait to make them again.

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