“Raspberry Hazelnut Financiers” from French Pastry 101 by Betty Hung – A 2019 Shortlisted Book

“Canada produces beautiful summer berries, and this is a simple and delicious recipe to bake with Canadian seasonal fruit.”

~ Betty Hung

Raspberry Hazelnut Financiers

Reprinted with permission from French Pastry 101 by Betty Hung, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo credit: Betty Hung.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Makes ten 4¼ x 2–inch (11 x 5–cm) boat-shaped cakes

Fresh fruit is not a typical ingredient in financiers, but I love the raspberries and orange zest here because it makes these cakes taste so refreshing. Instead of using almonds, I have used toasted hazelnuts, which have a much bolder flavor. This recipe is an easy way to dress up the classic.

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter

1 ⁄3 cup (50 g) whole hazelnuts, plus more for garnish

1 ⁄3 cup (50 g) cake flour, sifted

½ tsp salt

4 large egg whites (½ cup [125 g]), room temperature

½ cup + 2 tbsp (125 g) granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp (25 g) dark honey

2 tsp (4 g) orange zest, finely grated

2 tsp (10 g) hazelnut liqueur (optional)

1 cup (100 g) fresh raspberries

2 tbsp (13 g) powdered sugar, for garnish

To make the brown butter, place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and swirl the pan every minute or so; the butter will foam and separate. The key is to cook it until it becomes deep brown; it will be very aromatic. This process should take 8 to 9 minutes. Keep an eye on it; the butter can burn easily. Set the butter aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe. You should use the brown butter while it is in its liquid state or lukewarm. Some recipes suggest straining out the brown milk solids after you brown your butter, but I find the brown bits give these cakes a deeper flavor. If you wish, you can strain out the bits before adding it to your batter.

To roast the hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and roast them for 15 minutes until golden and aromatic. If your hazelnuts are not blanched, remove their skins while they are still hot by rubbing them with a clean kitchen towel. Cool the nuts and finely crush or grind them. You can use a food processor. Make sure you don’t grind the nuts too much, otherwise they will start to form a nut butter.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground hazelnuts, cake flour and salt.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until frothy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour mixture, mixing only until the batter comes together.

Using a spatula, fold in the liquid brown butter, honey, orange zest and liqueur. Transfer the batter into a container, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to fill the molds, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Grease the financier tins generously with softened butter, dust with flour and tap out any extra. Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the tins with the batter until almost full (about 90 percent).

Place the filled tins on a baking sheet. Top each financier with three fresh raspberries and crushed hazelnuts, if you wish. If you don’t have boat-shaped molds, a mini muffin pan works just as well. Grease and fill the cups the same way, top with two raspberries and decrease the bake time between 1 and 3 minutes.

Bake the financiers for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the edges are a deep golden brown. Cool the financiers to room temperature, and unmold them onto a rack. Lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving. They are best eaten the day they are baked.

TIPS

* If you can find hazelnut flour, replace the whole hazelnuts with ½ cup + 2 teaspoons (63 g) of hazelnut flour. It will save you from skinning and grinding whole nuts; all you need to do is toast it until fragrant. However, I find that whole hazelnuts are much more flavorful than the flour.

* Other nuts such as almonds and pistachios work well in this recipe. If you use almond flour, use ½ cup + 2 teaspoons (50 g). If using pistachios, use the same measurements as the hazelnuts in the recipe.