The variations on the financiers theme are endless
Dutch version coming soon…
A financier is a small French cake, often associated with friands or friandises, which can indicate all kinds of small sweet ‘pâtisserie ou pièce de confiserie’. The financier is light and moist, and contains almond flour, crushed or ground almonds, or almond flavoring. The distinctive feature of the recipe is beurre noisette (brown butter / hazelnut butter). Other ingredients include egg whites, flour, and icing sugar. Financiers are baked in shaped molds, usually small rectangular loaves.
The name financier is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold. Another theory says that the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the Paris stock exchange.
So financier molds are traditionally rectangular, but other shapes are very much allowed too of course. We use a silicon pan which works very well for us. We do not grease the pan, just pipe the mixture and release the financiers right after baking.
This recipe is rather basic, but oh so good (the simple things usually are). You can add all kinds of flavors, extra ingredients, coatings and toppings, but we suggest you start with this ‘humble’ version and let the almonds and the wonderful structure of this sweet delight do the talking. The dried cherry in the middle is also an option, but one we highly recommend because they marry so very happily with the almond flavor.
Happy baking!
Ingredients for the financiers
Amount depending on tin size
30 g pastry flour
85 g almond flour
100 g butter made into beurre noisette (see below)
150 g icing sugar
three egg whites / 95 g
pinch of salt
dried cherries
Making the beurre noisette
Beurre noisette or hazelnut butter is simply butter cooked until golden brown, which gives off a delicious nutty aroma. The process is very simple. Place butter slices in a saucepan and let it melt. Continue cooking until the butter becomes golden brown. The butter is ready when lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and stop the cooking process by pouring the nutty butter into a cold bowl or putting the saucepan in a sink of cold water.
Recipe for the financiers
In a bowl, combine the sugar, pinch of salt, flour and almond flour (you can add a few drops of almond extract if you like a real intense flavor). Add the egg whites and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth mixture, a minute is enough. Now add the beurre noisette in a steady stream while whisking continuously. Now transfer the batter to a piping bag and put it in the fridge for one hour.
Preheat your oven to 200 °C / 390 °F conventional setting.
Fill the financier molds, add a dried cherry and press it in the center of the batter of each mold. Bake the financiers for about 15-20 minutes (depending on size) until golden brown. If you use a flexible mold you can release them right after baking, leave them 5 minutes with other molds. Let the financiers cool on a wire rack. Best eaten while fresh but they keep very well in the freezer and are still wonderful after a short period at room temperature.
Tamas Kenez says
Hi,
I’ve just experimented with other grains, baked a batch with brown millet flour, buckwheat flour and corn flour (4-4-4 pieces of each). I used the same amount as in the recipe (10-10-10g in this case).
All flours work fine, my favorite is the brown millet flour where the high-fiber content counterpoints the fatty almond flour.
The corn is also good, gives a mild polenta flavor.
The buckwheat is nothing special, almost like no flour, the cookies are a bit flatter.
I’ve been baking this recipe again and again to improve my technique (it does matter, even with such a simple recipe!) and trying out minor variations. I’m always using 90g sugar, it’s the almost-too-sweet level for me. Also I’m using a real, metal financier mold, the gold-bar shape is superb, good for baking, good for eating.
Thank you for this recipe and for your unique, precise recipe style in all the other recipes, too!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello again Tamas,
Wow, you have been experimenting! Thank you for sharing these original versions and thank you for the inspiration no doubt for other bakers. Millet (Gierst in Dutch) is a bit of a forgotten grain, but it seems like such a good alternative to use for this recipe. I will see if I can find it in the store and give it a try too.
Wishing you many happy moments baking and experimenting!
Marieke
Tamas Kenez says
Hi, are you using 100 g beurre noisette or beurre noisette made of 100 g butter?
Btw I’ve been making these (another, similar recipe) with 90g sugar which is just the proper amount of sweetness for me. I can’t tell how the reduced sugar changes the texture because I’ve never done it with the prescribed quantity.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Tamas,
That is a very valid question and something we should clarify. In this case it is beurre noisette made with 100 g butter. Thank you for sharing your experience with the less sugar version.
Lika says
Thank you so much for such an easy recipe to follow! Been wanted to bake this for a long time and I succeed it! Thanks to you. Yes, it was indeed a little too sweet so I’m going to try with reduced amount of honey next time. My family truly enjoyed them!
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Lika for your enthusiastic feedback. Sounds like you are going to make this recipe your own. Just gradually reduce the amount of sugar and see how it works.
Zanzoona says
I used this wonderful recipe 2 days ago with coconut and all purpose flour when I made your pastry cream recipe to fill my beautiful cinnamon buns deluxe just as you wrote in your recipe 😊, taste was amazing. Thank you again my friends. Have a wonderful day 💝 💝 💝 💐💐💐
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you again Zanzoona, for your baking enthusiasm.
Enjoy the baking and sharing this December!
Greetings,
Marieke
samuel says
Best financiers tasted from France Cheff david
Daisy Ong says
Great, very helpful information just reading for 5-10minutes. All information needed included.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you so much Daisy!
Justin says
Perhaps reduce the sugar but increase butter and almond flour? This is based on function of sugar other than being a sweetener.
Rosemary says
Thank you for the information on how to make the financier cake. I made the cake today but find it too sweet. Is there a way around this
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Rosemary,
You could try honey and also reduce the amount. We would start with 25 gram less and if this goes well also try 50 grams less.
Tania9 says
I was looking for a recipie for financiers and came across your site. I am really excited to try the recipie but wanted to ask what is the advantage of putting the mixture in the fridge before baking? I haven’t seen any other recipies that does this.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Tania,
It allows the mixture to thicken and the ingredients to blend. The mixture is nice and uniform and easy to pipe.
Ellen says
Where did you get those mold?
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Ellen,
We actually sell them in our own baking shop: www.weekendbakery.com/websh…-mini.html
But you can this brand siliconflex in several places.
Hazel says
You specify almond flour in the recipe. Is this the same as theground almonds we can buy in the UK?
I’d like to make these cakes this weekend so will be buying ingredients today.
Thanks
BTW I have been using your recipe for a miche with great success. It’s now our favourite bread.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Hazel,
It is sometimes hard to know if we mean the exact same thing, but in this case we can assure you you can use the ground almonds for this recipe. We have been told that ground almonds are better quality than the stuff that is sold over here as almond flour or ‘meal’, because the first still contains the valuable almond oils that are supposed to be taken out of the almond flour.
Thank you for mentioning the miche, wonderful family bread 🙂
Enjoy the baking!
michelle says
cool, me and my sisters has decided to make them cause they look delicious and it seems as they bring back memories, cant wait to make them.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Michelle,
Let us know how it goes!
Nancy P says
OH MY GOSH! I had not heard of these delights until recently, so I decided to make them to take to a dinner. They were a hit. I followed the recipe , but added 1/4 tsp of vanilla after reading many recipes. I used a muffin tin. They stuck just a bit in the center of the bottom. I’ll use more butter next time. I also read to chill the pan once buttered. They were amazing. I served with a mixed berry compote and whipped cream, but divine on their own too. Thank you!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Nancy,
That sounds excellent! We also make versions in small paper baking molds which works well too. The making of the beurre noisette is something I love to do. Vanilla always a good addition of course.
Happy financiers baking!
Marieke
Luba says
Hello,
Thank you very much for a wonderful recipe. One thing is a bit confusing to me: the recipe says 200C/350F, but 200C converts to 390F. What temperature is correct here – 200C or 350F?
Also, if I have an option to turn convection in my oven, would the convection help here? If yes, what temperature should I set my oven for?
Thank you very much!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Luba,
Thank you for noticing our mistake, we already corrected it! You should stick to 200 / 390 for this recipe and we do recommend using the conventional and not the convection setting, we think it works best for this recipe ( also to keep it moist and browning not too fierce). Could be you get best results with slightly different settings of course, because every oven is different. Hope they turn out well, because they sure are delicious.
Wan says
Hi from London,
It was a failier for me this afternoon. I was going to bring some of these to a friend’s dinner party. But When I turned them out of the mould, they all crumbled.
I used fresh blue berry instead of dried cherry, will that be the problem? And I find them too sweet.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Wan,
Sorry to hear that. It should not really be a problem, unless you used too many maybe. Hard to say with out seeing it really. We do not recognize that they would crumble, it should not have that kind of texture. The sweetness is very personal of course, don’t know if a version with less sugar will turn out better for you. You always have to carefully spray or butter your molds too so they come out of their molds easily. A suggestion if you want to give it a second try: Use small paper molds, it also works very well.
RWebb says
Hi from London! I’ve baked the financier this Sunday and they were great! Also it was the exact quantity to fill a 12-Cup Mini Loaf . I only used less sugar, and fresh raspberry instead of cherry. but everything else I followed as you said. Really tasty little cakes. Thank you
Weekend Bakers says
Hi from Holland,
Thank you for the excellent feedback. Fresh raspberries in your financiers, what’s not to love! Baking them today too.
Happy weekend baking!
Hayley says
Hi,
Could you tell me how important is it to use almond flour? Would you achieve the same result with plain flour just with a less nutty flavour? Thank you. From the UK
Jason says
You really need the almond flour – this is actually just ground almonds (no wheat involved) – or you are just making plain cake. The nuts add extra fat content and make the Financiers rich and moist.
I like them made with ground hazelnuts instead of the almonds.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Jason, we would love to try them with ground hazelnuts too.
Herbert says
Best Financiers I ever ate were at Chocolaterie Pompadour in Amsterdam on the Huidenstraat. Better than Paris even. 🙂
They were deliciously rich and you could taste the brown butter. Mmmmm. . . Lekker!!!
Weekend Bakers says
Yes, a lovely address, a great place to buy delicious things or have a rest during shopping and strolling through the city.
Making your own still our favorite thing to do, partly because of the delicious odors from the home made brown butter!
Lana says
Yes they give you a free piece with your coffee. I was surprised to bite into an aromatic, financier with a supple crumb. Incredibly delicious. But I think the best I’ve ever had are from Financier Patisserie on wall st in New York City. They’ve since opened other locations.
Weekend Bakers says
Excellent tip to put on our list if we get to be so lucky to visit NY again some day!
Dianne Keip says
Hi there
this recipe makes gorgeous financiers. Your how-to guides are so useful. One day I’m going to get brave enough to make croissants too. I live in NZ and have just found your website. its funny that I didn’t find your website while I was actually living in Nederland.
Dianne
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Dianne!
Samuel says
I really love all of your pastry recipes! The madeline, the croissants, the speculoos. They’ve all turned out extraordinarily wonderful, and rivals anything i’ve baked from a professional cookbook! Always a perfect balance of taste and texture. Thank you, thank you all the way from San Francisco!! Love- Sam
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Samuel,
You put a smile on both our faces with your comment 🙂 great to get this feedback.
Hope to delight and inspire you some more in the future.
Greetings all the way from Holland!
Happy baking,
Ed & Marieke
Ray Butarbutar says
Hi again!
I wanted to check in and confirm about the beurre noisette measurements. The 100g is for the already-made beurre noisette right? In other words, it’s not 100g of fresh butter? Thanks! Hope you guys have a fantastic new years 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Ray, sorry for the confusion. The right answer is; make beurre noissette from 100g of fresh butter and use this. So because of evaporation the total amount of beurre noisette add to the mixture will be slighty less than 100g. Happy baking!
Lous says
De siliconevorm vind ik persoonlijk een beetje ondiep voor de Financiers. Ze worden dan snel te gaar. Zelf neem ik meestal mijn madeleine vormpjes hiervoor. Maar dat is natuurlijk niet origineel. Heel erge lekkere koekjes trouwens.
Weekend Bakers says
Hallo Lous,
Het is natuurlijk ook een kwestie van niet te lang bakken, deze vorm en afmeting vraagt om ongeveer 13 minuten bij ons voor een goed resultaat. Deze grootte vind ik zelf fijn om te presenteren bij een high tea, waarbij je toch al zoveel voorgeschoteld krijgt en ook van alles wilt proeven. Kleinere versies van koekjes en cakejes zijn dan perfect.
Happy baking,
Marieke