“F” IS FOR FINANCIERS (OR FRIANDS).

Financiers are lovely little cakes to make when you want to rustle something up in a hurry.  There is no creaming of butter and sugar, just melting of butter and a light whisking of egg whites and they’re done almost as soon as you have finished washing up the baking dishes!

Friands and financiers are pretty much the same cake, just a different shape.  The traditional friand tin produces oval shaped cakes and a financier tin produces oblong cakes.

This time I made strawberry and lemon financiers, using my recipe for blueberry and lemon friands, which you can find on the BBC Good Food website here.  Instead of the blueberries I just placed some sliced strawberries on top and because I was in my little French kitchen I used the financier mould I bought in the cookware section of a French supermarket (I think it was Intermarché).

The little cakes are perfect for this month’s Alphabakes challenge,  an event organised by Caroline of Caroline Makes and Ros of The more than occasional baker, which is to bake something including the letter “F”.

They also slip very nicely into this month’s Tea Time Treats challenge, the monthly event run by Kate of What Kate Baked and, this month, by Karen of Lavender and Lovage.  July being the month for fruit we are asked for something baked with fresh fruit.  You can see the details here.

This is one of those very handy, very adaptable recipes which I have used time and again.  You don’t need to use a friand or financier tin - the cakes turn out perfectly alright baked in an ordinary muffin tin.

Strawberry and lemon financiers.

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

125g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

25g plain flour

85g ground almonds

3 medium egg whites

1 unwaxed lemon, grated rind only

4-5 strawberries, sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 180ºfan. Generously butter a friand, financier or muffin tin.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl.  Add the almonds and, using your fingers, mix everything together.

Whisk the egg whites until they make a light, floppy foam. Make a well in the dry ingredients, tip in the egg whites and lemon rind. Add the melted butter and lightly stir to make a soft batter.

Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and arrange the sliced strawberries on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown and firm to the touch.

Cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Makes 8 financiers (or 6-8 friands, depending on the tin).