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Authentic French Financiers

French financiers with almonds on a wooden board lined with parchment.
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4.7 from 15 reviews

Classic French financiers are small almond cakes made with brown butter (beurre noisette), egg whites, powdered sugar, and almond flour. This authentic financier recipe bakes in about 20 minutes and turns out moist inside with lightly crisp edges, perfect with coffee or tea.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 2/3 cups + 2 tablespoons (225 g) powdered (icing) sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (75 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup + 13 teaspoons (90 g) almond flour
  • 4 tablespoons (30 g) hazelnut flour
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (150 g) egg whites (note #1)
  • 7.4 oz (210 g) unsalted butter

* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the cavities of a mini muffin pan with melted butter and dust with flour. Remove any excess flour and refrigerate the mold.  
  2. To make the brown butter, heat butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, occasionally swirling the pan, for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. It will foam at first, then begin to brown, producing dark golden flecks (browned milk solids). Check the color, and once you are happy with the level of browning, pour the butter (with milk solids) into a bowl to stop cooking. Let it stand and fully cool down.
  4. To make the cake batter, whisk egg whites with an electric mixer for 15-20 seconds and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, all-purpose flour, almond flour, and hazelnut flour. Add beaten egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix with a hand whisk. Stir in the brown butter.
  5. Pour the batter into the mold, filling the holes to two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Check financiers with a toothpick: if it comes out dry, they are ready. Remove from the oven and let cakes cool for 2-3 minutes before removing them from the mold. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  1. 150 g egg whites, approximately equal to 4.5 raw fresh egg whites from large-sized chicken eggs.
  2. To make authentic financiers, you must make brown butter for natural nutty flavors. Remember to retain the dark bits in the browned butter!
  3. Use a piping bag to fill the cavities of the muffin mold if desired. 
  4. Monitor the baking time of financiers to avoid overbaking.
  5. Use a small, blunt knife to release the edges of the cakes and remove them from the mold if needed.
  6. Make-ahead option: Make the cake batter in advance, cover it with plastic film in contact, and refrigerate for a few days. 

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/financiers-by-pierre-herme/