Most of the recipes I’ve posted here so far I initially saw it made on the great British Bakeoff, and the financier is no exception. Making financiers requires a special pan to get the signature rectangular, gold bar shape, but a muffin tin can also be used. Or a madeleine tin. The baking times might vary a bit with a different tin so if you’re taking the time to actually read this, that can be a bonus tip for you that I won’t include below. Maybe, I still might. We’ll find out soon enough.
Financier Preparation Notes
The batter for financiers can be prepared quickly. Once the butter is browned and cooled, the egg whites are quickly whipped and the dry ingredients added. The butter is stirred in next, followed by the ginger. The lemon zest is folded in after that. I would recommend preparing your ingredients while waiting for the butter to cool after browning. I like to pay attention to the butter when its browning as I’ve burned a few batches in the past. Pay attention to the pan while the butter is browning and scrape the bottom frequently to gather up any brown bits. Once the butter stops foaming and turns a golden brown color, take it off the heat and put in a bowl to cool.
While the butter is cooling, combine the flours and sift the powdered sugar. Place in a separate bowl. Grate the ginger, taking care that there are no large pieces. Reserve until ready to use. Next, separate the eggs. I used my yolks to make a pastry cream for my Mexican chocolate eclairs, or Maximilians. Kudos to Stuart for coming up with the name.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk until egg whites are frothy. Stir in the dry ingredients followed by the ginger and the butter. Add the lemon zest and fold it in.
Variations and Baking Notes
If lemon and ginger aren’t your thing, you can swap the ginger for vanilla extract. I’m also thinking you can do a filled financier. I’m making a batch of financiers this week and will try a round with a jam in the middle. My athletes will get to try them Wednesday morning. I’ll have to update this article with the verdict.
Anyway, add the batter to the greased and floured tin, filling them just over three-quarters of the way full.
Place in the oven at 400 for five or so minutes. Next, drop the temp to 375 and bake for another five or so minutes. Let the cookies cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Like most things, they’re best fresh. So if you’re making a batch, share them!
Lemon Ginger Financier Recipe
Equipment
- Financier tin (muffin tin works too)
Ingredients
- 113 grams Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
- 120 grams Powdered Sugar (1 cup)
- 30 grams AP flour (¼ cup)
- 67 grams Almond Flour (⅔ cup)
- 4 Egg whites
- 5 grams Ginger, grated (1 tsp)
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease and flour your financier or muffin tin
- Melt the butter in a skillet over low to medium heat. Cook the butter stirring frequently until it turns a golden brown, taking care to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Combine the powdered sugar, almond and AP flour in a mixing bowl.
- Beat the egg whites until nice and frothy then add to the flour mixture and mix until smooth, around 3 minutes.
- Stir in the brown butter and grated ginger into the batter.
- Fold the lemon zest into the batter
- Add the batter to the financier tin, filling until just over three quarters full.
- Bake at 400 for around 7 minutes, or until the cakes start to rise. Reduce the heat to 375 and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Serve and enjoy
