Blackberry & Orange Financiers

I take great pleasure in stopping, normally mid-morning, for a break. And by that I don’t mean standing with a coffee checking my phone.  I actually stop and move elsewhere, if only for a short time. I like to sip a coffee and occasionally eat something small and sweet, my fika time.  Financiers are just perfect for this.  Delicate little French fancies, often associated with friands.  Financiers are light and moist, and mainly consist of ground almonds, egg whites and brown butter.  The butter, known as beurre noisette is the distinctive feature of these elegant cakes.

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Blackberry & Orange Financiers

Makes 14-18 financiers

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Fika

Cuisine: French

Ingredients

• 200 g unsalted butter extra for greasing
• 4 egg whites
• 165 g caster sugar
• 90 g ground almond
• 60 g plain flour
• 1 orange zest of
• 100-125 g blackberries I used frozen, straight from the freezer
• Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to foam, this will take a little while. Continue to cook until it starts to smells nutty and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pan and have turned dark brown. Pass through a sieve and leave to cool.
• Mix all the remaining ingredients, with exception of the blackberries, using a balloon whisk or free standing mixer. Now add the cooled butter and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours. (This mixture will keep quite happily in the fridge for up to a week).
• Preheat the oven to 170Cfan. Grease the financier mould with butter and lightly dust with flour.
• Fill each mould three quarters full, then push the blackberries into the batter.
• Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool down before removing from the tins. Run a sharp knife around the each mould to help loosen the cakes
• Serve at room temperature dusted with icing sugar.

Notes

You don't have to go to the expense of buying a financier mould, you can use a mini muffin tin, as I have.

Tips:

• The mixture will keep quite happily in the fridge for up to a week.
• Vary the flavours, ie. lemon & raspberry or blueberry & lime.
• Freeze the baked cakes, defrost naturally, dust with icing sugar.