Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to cook so when I make something sooooo yummy I just have to share it!
French food, of any sort, is hands down my favourite; so when I wanted to bake something for a gift to give to a friend the other day I thought "Financiers" of course!
Financiers are small individual cakes that get their name from their bar-like shape of a gold ingot; hence the financial aspect of the name. These delicious little cakes are typically made with Walnuts or Almonds; but I use Hazelnuts since they give the Financiers a special twist from the expected - I've tried a variety of nuts and they all are good....but I just always go back to my version. The other thing about these cakes are that they are super easy to make and bake up quickly (impromptu Dessert? Friend gift? Hankering for a "little" something fresh just out the oven?). From beginning to end is 20 minutes so this is a great recipe to create something tasty and satisfying.
The perfect Financiers should be lightly brown, slightly shiny, and crispy on the outside, but fluffy and moist on the inside.
PS Financiers have their own specific mold; these are readily available in any Kitchen store
Recipe:
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup ground nuts
1/2 cup flour
5 egg whites (unbeaten)
2 tbsp Cognac OR 1 tsp Vanilla
Heat oven to 450F
Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly. Combine sugar, nuts, and flour in a medium bowl. Stir in egg whites and Cognac/Vanilla. Finally, whisk in melted butter until just combined.
Place mold on a baking sheet for stability. Fill Financier molds 2/3 full only. Bake for 5 minutes and then turn down temperature to 400F for 10 additional minutes. Tops should be lightly golden and test by inserting a toothpick (comes out clean) to check for doneness.
Unmold onto rack to cool
Enjoy!
T