Blueberry Almond Financiers

A lightly crisp top, a moist center and a subtle nuttiness are what make Financiers a French favorite! These little cakes made of ground almonds with beurre-noisette and fluffy egg whites are a staple of the French baking repertoire – and for very good reasons. They’re quick and easy to make, and adaptable to any season or fixings. With fresh blueberries and crisp almond shavings, these Blueberry Almond Financiers are one of my favorite Summer twists on these marvelous little cakes.

The Origin of the Financiers

Originally oval in shape, Financiers are small individual almond cakes invented in the middle ages, by the Visitandine nuns from the city of Nancy, in North Eastern France. Made from egg whites and ground almonds, these dainty small cakes – then known as “visitandines”- were a good source of protein, addressing the banning of meat in the convent.

Much later, in the 19th century, Chef Lasne brought these small cakes back to his little pastry shop located near La Bourse de Paris (the Paris Stock Exchange). He had the idea to reshape the little cakes into small “bars of gold”, to attract the financial district crowds and bank workers looking for a snack that could easily be stored in their pockets without crumbling. The re-branded “financier” (meaning, a Financial district worker) was born.

About The Brown Butter

The Brown butter, known in French as “beurre-noisette” gives the delectable nutty flavors that make financiers so unique and irresistible. It’s important you take the time to make brown butter properly for this recipe – do not skip this step… you won’t regret it!

How to make brown-butter (beurre-noisette)

1. In a small sauce-pan, melt your butter over medium-low heat, whisking frequently. Once all melted, the butter will start to simmer and foam.
2. Keep a close eye on it and watch for golden specks to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter for nutty aromas.
3. Remove from the heat and pour the butter into a cold bowl to stop the cooking process. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

Be careful, it’s easy to go from brown-butter to burnt-butter. If you think you’ve over-cooked or burned the butter, do not overthink it. Dump it and start again. Burnt butter is terrible for your health.

Cooking notes:

• Almond meal (or Almond flour, or Ground Almond) is a highly perishable good. Make sure you get it fresh, store it well (in an airtight container) and use it as soon as possible. You can either buy it in store (either a package – such as Bobs Red Mill Almond Flour- , or buy it or in bulk) or you can make your own in a food blender. Blanched or unblanched both work for making financier.
• Make sure your egg-whites are at room temperature before you start whipping them. Make sure you reach a stiff peak. The egg whites then get folded into the dry ingredients and will lose some “fluff”. But you should still end up with a thick batter (that holds it shape). You can then use a spatula to spread it evenly into the cupcake tins.  
• Don’t skip on sifting together the icing sugar, flour and almond meal. It will truly make a difference in creating lighter and airier financiers.
• This recipe works perfectly with blueberries, but you can switch for raspberries or diced strawberries, if you wish. Do not fold the fruits into the batter, but simply place them on top before baking. Just do not overcrowd the cake batter with berries, as the fruits release some moisture when baking – you don’t want to end up with a soggy cake.
• Don’t have shaved almonds on hand? Substitute for chopped or slivered almonds, chopped pistachios or hazelnuts, or simply leave it plain.
• To make this recipe more approachable for my North American readers, the recipe is made for a 12-cup muffin tin, which is widely available. If you can get your hands on an authentic financier mold pan, the financiers will need to bake a few minutes less.

I hope you’ll love this Blueberry Almond Financiers recipe as much as I do!

Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.  

You may also like:

• Giant Strawberry Almond Financier 
• Classic French Tarte aux Fraises
• Alsatian Blueberry pie
• Crepes with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce 

Blueberry Almond Financiers

Print Recipe

Serves: 10 financiers Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.2/5

( 17 voted )

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1/2 tbsp (125g) unsalted butter (made into “beurre-noisette” – see cooking note)
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (80g) Ground Almonds
1 cup (125g) Icing Sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (50g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 large egg whites
¼ tsp almond extract
½ cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup shaved almond

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Pre-heat your oven to 340F (170C) with a rack in the middle. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter.   

Step 1 - Make the beurre-noisette (see cooking note) and set aside to let it cool to room temperature.

Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, icing sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

Step 3 - In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff peak. Sprinkle 1/3 of the dry ingredients over the egg whites and fold in gently with a spatula. When barely combined, sprinkle another third of the dry ingredients and fold again. Repeat with the last third of the dry ingredients. When combined, fold in the almond extract and the beurre-noisette. Stop folding when just combined.

Carefully transfer the batter to the 12-cup muffin pan and gently smooth out the top with the spatula.

Step 4 - Sprinkle a few blueberries on top of each financier. Just barely push on the blueberries to keep them in place (not too much, they will sink in the batter when baking). Sprinkle some almond shavings on top. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on the edges. Let cool 15 minutes before carefully removing the financier from the tins (use a pointy knife). Transfer to a cooling rack.

 

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

This recipe was first posted on Jul 26, 2017, and updated on June 10, 2020. 

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