It’s been a while since I shared a French Friday post but today I’ve got a favourite French recipe to welcome spring – financiers! This version has lemon and poppy seeds, so it’s a familiar flavour in bite-sized form! I love the brightness of lemon in these early spring days!
What is a financier?
Essentially it’s a small tea cake made with almond meal and only a small quantity of all-purpose flour. A financier is a little more substantial than a madeleine. Because they only contain a little bit of flour, they are easy to make gluten-free.
Why are they called “financiers”?
Financiers are a popular after-school (or anytime!) snack in France, typically small rectangular-shaped tea cakes made with almond flour. A version of them was originally baked in an oval shape by nuns of the Order of the Visitation and the cakes were called visitandines.
A clever baker working in Paris’s financial district in the 19th century saw how these cakes could be easily eaten on the go, and thought this would appeal to his busy banker clientele. He shaped the cakes like gold bars and named them financiers as a nod to both his clientele and the surrounding district.
They now come in various shapes, including rectangles and ovals. For individual cakes, I always use a mini-muffin pan because they work well to give you a good crunchy exterior/ fluffy interior ratio. Plus, most people have a mini-muffin pan (certainly more than have cake pans shaped like gold bars!).
Are financiers gluten-free?
Typically financiers are made with almond flour and a little all-purpose (plain) flour. This recipe uses almond flour and a couple of tablespoons of all-purpose flour but you can easily substitute a gluten-free all-purpose blend.
Lemon Poppy seed Financiers
Lemon poppy seed tea cakes!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (56g/ 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25f) ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. (If you are using non-stick muffin tins, you may not need to but otherwise) Generously grease a 12-cavity mini muffin tin.
- Melt the butter (either in a small pot on the stovetop over medium heat or in a glass jug in the microwave for about 1 minute). Set aside to cool.
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is orange and the mixture is slightly wet. Whisk in the flour, ground almonds and poppy seeds.
- Beat egg white until just frothy with electric beaters (1 minute on high).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Add the cooled, melted butter to the batter and use a rubber spatula to gently mix until the butter is completely incorporated.
- Add the lemon juice to the batter and use a rubber spatula to gently mix until the juice is just incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the muffin tins using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the centre is slightly puffed and the edges are golden and slightly crispy. The tops might have cracked a little.
- Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing the financiers.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Best eaten the day they are made, although they can keep for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature.
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These take less than an hour to pull together so go on – celebrate spring (or autumn if you’re in the southern hemisphere!) by whipping up a batch of these!
Want more French Fridays?
Did you know over on my Substack, I’ve got a new-ish (since November 2024) series on the go – French (food idiom) Fridays!
Each month, I share a French idiom/ saying related to food and a recipe using that ingredient. Bonus? These posts are illustrated by the fabulous Lisa Nunamaker (you can read all about the beginning of our working relationship here – she’s since contributed to my books, done Neil’s logo as well as the logo for our rental property.
Sign up to receive a these French Fridays posts over on Substack! Don’t worry, I only write over there about 2-3 times a month so I won’t flood your inbox!
Happy Friday!
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