Contents
Almond, egg white, sugar and brown butter, baked in small rectangular moulds that are supposed to look like gold bars — the name comes from the Paris financial district, where the pâtissier Lasne sold them to bankers who wanted something they could eat without a fork. They are the standard professional solution to leftover egg whites.
Where a madeleine is best within the hour, a financier is better the next day.
What makes it work
- Beurre noisette is the flavour. Butter cooked until the milk solids toast and the pan smells of hazelnut. Unbrowned butter makes a bland financier, and there is nothing else in the recipe to hide behind. See baking fats.
- Egg whites, unwhipped. They are stirred in, not aerated. The rise is small and dense by design.
- Almond flour is half the dry weight. That is what keeps it moist for days and gives the close, slightly chewy crumb.
- Rest the batter overnight if you can — it hydrates the almond and improves both rise and flavour.
- Hot oven, small mould, short bake. 200 °C for 12 minutes; the edges should be dark and the centre soft.
Ingredients
Makes 18 small financiers.
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g ground almonds
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 5 egg whites, about 175 g
- 3 g fine salt
- 1 tsp vanilla, or 2 tbsp rum — see Pure vanilla extract
Optional toppings: a raspberry, a slice of plum, flaked almonds, or a piece of dark chocolate pressed into each
Method
Brown the butter in a light pan over medium heat until the solids at the bottom are deep amber and it smells nutty, about six minutes. Strain it or scrape it all in, and cool to warm.
Whisk the ground almonds, powdered sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the egg whites — just stir, do not whip — until smooth. Stir in the warm brown butter and the vanilla.
Rest the batter in the fridge, one hour minimum, overnight for the best result.
Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F. Butter the moulds well.
Fill each three-quarters full, add any topping, and bake 12–14 minutes, until the edges are brown and the middles just set.
Turn out while warm.
Notes
- They keep three days in a tin and stay moist, which is exactly what a madeleine does not do.
- Pistachio, hazelnut or brown-butter-and-matcha versions swap out part of the almond flour.
- The batter keeps a week refrigerated and bakes straight from cold, which makes it the most useful thing to have in the fridge for unexpected guests.
Elsewhere on the site
Method and theory: Cake recipes · cakes · Almonds · baking fats
Nearby: madeleines · olive oil cake · opera cake