Raspberry Financiers

If you're looking for the perfect afternoon snack, look no further: these raspberry financiers are what you need. They are light and airy with a touch of buttery sweetness from the almond flour. Fresh raspberries on top bring tartness and sweetness at the same time. It is hard to stop eating these!

Summer is up, and you want to eat something sweet. But you don't have much time for baking because there is so much to do during summer days!

Baking takes time, and it is hard to find the right recipes that take less than an hour or two.

Raspberry financiers (financiers aux framboises in French) are so easy! These delicious French cakes only take 40 minutes from start to finish!

They are light and fluffy with a hint of raspberry flavor. You can make them in any shape you like - hearts, circles, squares, etc.

Forget about an authentic financier mold; make them in a mini muffin pan.

These cute cakes resembling mini muffins are perfect for a special occasion or just as an afternoon snack when your sugar craving hits.

What are raspberry financiers?

Raspberry financiers (pronounced fee-nahn-see-AY) are little French pastries with a hint of raspberry used for dipping in tea or coffee.

They are also a popular way to finish off an elegant dinner with some deliciously light desserts.

Many French pastries were originally created as sweet treats to dip into your coffee while having some high-level discussions over the day's events at court.

One of these was classic financiers - small French almond cakes.

The financier cakes were ironically named "delicacy" because they were mainly wealthy financiers who could afford to purchase them.

And they came in a unique rectangular shape, a shape of gold bars.

Apparently, these cakes emerged when someone fancied making something that tasted good without being overly sweet and heavy-handed in taste or texture.

The original version had just almonds, powdered sugar, flour, and egg whites whipped together.

Nowadays, different versions of financiers such as Pistachio Financiers, Chocolate Financiers delight us in their taste and flavors.

Why you should try this recipe

1. These raspberry financier recipe is easy and quick to make.
2. It uses leftover egg whites.
3. Their basic recipe allows for sweet customization.
4. These small cakes are a perfect accompaniment for your morning cup of tea or coffee coffee, and a snack throuout the day.
5. They are great for breakfast, brunch, or finish a dinner party, too. And they look very pretty on your Instagram feed!

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Almond flour: use almond flour or coarse almond meal interchangeably.

You can also use ground almonds. Make them yourself by grinding whole almonds (with skin on or blanched almonds) in a food processor.

Icing sugar: make it with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Flour: use all-purpose flour to make the recipe.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter. Bring it to room temperature 1 hour before you start, or you will not get nearly enough melting action while making brown butter.

Egg whites: use large egg whites. An egg separator facilitates the separation of egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are chilled. Then bring the egg whites to room temperature.

Raspberries: these are the stars of raspberry financiers. Use fresh or frozen raspberries interchangeably: no need to thaw frozen berries.

Feel free to replace raspberries with halved blackberries, halved cherries, or blueberries.

How to make raspberry financiers

Preheat the oven to 395 degrees F/200 degrees C.

To make the brown butter, melt and cook the butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

It will start to foam, then to brown, making brown milk solids. Let it cool (photos 1-2).

To make the financier batter, mix almond flour, icing (powdered) sugar, and all-purpose flour in a large bowl with a hand whisk.

In a separate medium bowl, lightly whisk egg whites with a hand mixer until foamy.

Add beaten egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix with the hand whisk (photo 3).

Pour the cooled browned butter and mix with a rubber spatula or a whisk (photo 4).

Butter and flour cavities of a nonstick mini muffin pan. Pour the batter into muffins cups almost to the top. Garnish each financier with a fresh raspberry (photo 5).

Bake for 20 minutes until golden edges and cakes are slightly puffed (photo 6). 

Remove the financiers from the mini muffin tin immediately and let cool on a cooling rack.

Once cooled, sprinkle cakes with confectioners' sugar if desired. 

Recipe variations

The simplicity of the financier batter recipe lends itself to many variations.

You can make individual financiers using authentic rectangular molds - financier pans - or a giant financier baked in a rectangular tart pan.

French chefs use financier cake as a base for Bavarian cakes (gâteau Bavarois in French). So the sponge cake has better watch out! 

Storage

These are best eaten when made, but you can store financiers for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature.

You can freeze them for up to 2 months.

Expert tips

1. Don't filter the brown butter: it is all right to use it with the foam and brown milk solids.
2. If you use silicone mini molds or a silicone financier mold, there is no need to grease and flour them.
3. Store financiers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can freeze them for up to two months.

Frequently asked questions

Love raspberry desserts? Try these next!

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on June 29, 2021. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.