Almond Orange Financier Recipes

FINANCIER CAKE (FRENCH ALMOND CAKES)

Steps:

• Make the brown butter by melting the butter until it has attained a nice brown colour and it smells like hazelnut. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
• In a bowl mix the almond flour, the flour, the baking powder, and powdered sugar. Add the egg whites and whisk until they have incorporated into the batter. Whisk in the brown butter.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 C°. Butter your moulds using melted butter. Using a piping bag fill the moulds with the financier batter up to ¾. Leave a space between the rim of the mould and the batter. Add some sliced almonds on top of every financier.
• Bake until golden. About 12 minutes. Remove from the pan and let them cool down at room temperature over a wire rack. Enjoy!

FINANCIERS (FRENCH ALMOND TEA CAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven on 160'C/325'F and grease a Financier Pan (see note 1). Optionally, flour the pan too.
• Mak the Brown Butter: place your butter in a small saucepan and turn on low to medium low heat. Cook until the butter has completely melted and starts to get foamy. Keep on cooking, occasionally stirring, the melted butter starts to turn golden and releases a nutty aroma, and you can see small brown specks at the bottom of the saucepan (see note 2). It should take about 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool down.
• In a large bowl, sift together the Flour, Almond Meal, Icing Sugar and Salt. Mix to combine.
• In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the Egg Whites until slightly froathy (see note 3).
• Add the cooled Brown Butter, Egg Whites and Vanilla to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined.
• Place the batter in a piping bag and pipe into a Financier Pan (or simply spoon/scoop it). Spread with the back of a spoon if needed, then top with Flaked Almonds (optional).
• Bake for about 20min, or until lightly golden. Take out of the oven and leave for about 10 minutes before removing from the financier pan (see note 4). Leave on a cooling rack until cold

FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almond flour evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and raise heat to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl with browned bits. Let cool.
• Combine flours and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Add whites, and beat on medium speed until combined and sugar is incorporated. With machine running, pour in browned butter (with brown bits) in a slow, steady stream. Continue to beat for 3 minutes. Batter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Coat a cast-iron pan with oil or cooking spray, and fill halfway with batter. Bake until dark gold (time will vary depending on size of pan). Remove from oven, and immediately transfer financiers from pan to a wire rack. Let cool. Coat each with glaze if desired, or serve immediately.

ALMOND-ORANGE FINANCIER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush the inside of a 13 1/2-by-4-inch tart pan that has a nonremovable bottom with melted butter; transfer to freezer.
• Using a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, flour, salt, and orange zest. Add egg whites, and whisk to combine. Slowly stir in butter.
• Remove tart pan from freezer. Pour batter into pan; place on a baking sheet. Bake until dough just begins to rise, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees and continue baking 7 to 8 minutes more, until financier begins to brown. Turn off oven, and let cake stand in oven until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Invert financier onto rack; reinvert, and slice into 6 pieces. Garnish top with candied orange peel, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

ALMOND CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F(230°C).
• With a pastry brush, use the 2 tablespoons melted butter to thoroughly butter the financier molds. Arrange them side by side, but not touching, on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the buttered molds in the freezer to resolidify the butter and make the financiers easier to unmold.
• In a large bowl, combine the almonds, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix to blend. Add the egg whites and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the 3/4 cup butter and mix until thoroughly blended. The mixture will be fairly thin and pourable.
• Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the rim. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake until the financiers just being to rise, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F(205°C). Bake until the financiers are a light, delicate brown and begin to firm up, about another 7 minutes. Turn off the oven heat and let the financiers rest in the oven until firm, about another 7 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the financiers cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold. (Note: Wash molds immediately with a stiff brush in hot water without detergent so that they retain their seasoning.) The financiers may be stored in an airtight container for several days.

FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• In a bowl, sift together the almond powder, powdered sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, using a whisk or handheld mixer, beat the whites until stiff peaks form. (Or, use a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment.)
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon and some stamina), beat the butter until creamy and soft. Add the egg yolks, ne at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the almond extract. Then add the dry ingredients, beating just until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be a bit stiff. On low speed, slowly add half of the whipped whites, mixing just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Spoon the mixture into the molds. You want the batter in each mold to be 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) deep. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is bouncy. If you stick it with a knife, it will always be greasy. The best way to test is to press the center with your finger. If it bounces back rather than sinks, it's ready. If you are using paper molds, leave and serve. If you are using metal molds, remove the cakes from the molds and let cool on wire racks. Serve at room temperature.
• Substitute hazelnut powder for the almond powder. You need to toast the hazelnut powder before using it. Spread it on a rimmed baking sheet, place in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven, and set the timer for 5 minutes so you don't forget about it. Stir it with fork occasionally so it toasts evenly. It is ready when it smells like a Belgian chocolate store. Pour it into a bowl and let it cool completely before using, then sift with the other ingredients as directed in the recipe. This version is delicious with a few apricot halves gently pushed into the top of the cake batter before baking.
• When the big Italian grapes arrive in the market in their foam-padded wooden crates, it's an exciting time. Press them into the cake batter before baking, just like the apricots above.
• Simmer thick orange slices in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water; dissolve the sugar in the water) for 1 hour. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) Irish whiskey to the batter with the almond extract, and press the orange slices into the top of the cake batter before baking.
• Whisk 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter into the batter before adding the egg yolks. Sink 15 red candied peanuts (French burnt peanuts) into the top of each cake before baking.
• Whisk 2 tablespoons pistachio paste into the batter before adding the egg yolks. Dust the top of the cake batter with chopped pistachios before baking.
• Peel, halve, and core apples. Place cut side up on a small baking sheet, top each half with a pat of unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes, or until browned and puffy. Gently press an apple half, rounded side down, into the top of each cake before baking.
• Take a handful of bold-colored, sugar-coated almonds and crush them with a rolling pin. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) Strega, anisette, or alkermes (sometimes spelled alchermes, a typical Tuscan liqueur) to the batter with the almond extract. Dust the top of the cake batter with the crushed almonds before baking.