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Moist, browned butter almond cakes!

Browned Butter Financiers

Moist, browned butter almond cakes!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 6 financiers
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Ingredients
  

  • 50 gms unsalted butter, room temp (1/4 cup)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour (see notes)
  • 2 and 1/2 tbsps all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 egg whites, room temp
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan on low heat, melt the butter. It will begin to bubble and look very frothy, then slowly it will look clear and begin to darken. When it starts to smell nutty, keep a close watch on it, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat as soon as you see a few brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C and generously grease 6 muffin moulds with butter.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt. Mix well.
  • Add the egg whites and vanilla and whisk well, but do not over-mix. The mixture will smoothen out at the end.
  • Now add the browned butter (I like to add the browned bits at the bottom too, you can leave them out if you prefer), and stir gently but thoroughly till the butter is well-combined with the rest of the mixture and you have a smooth batter.
  • Divide the batter equally among the moulds, filling each only halfway. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the cakes have puffed a little and are golden-brown on the top. I needed to bake them for a few extra minutes, depending on your oven, you may need to as well.
  • Set aside to cool, then using a small blunt knife, gently remove them from the moulds. They tend to stick, so don't let them sit in the pan too long after they've cooled. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days in an airtight tin, then refrigerate or freeze. Enjoy warm with tea or coffee!

Notes

*I used store-bought almond flour and it produces a finer-crumbed cake. You can also finely grind almonds at home for a slightly coarser, less dense cake.
*If you're not some sort of expert egg separator (I'm so not!), I highly recommend keeping at least 4 eggs ready in case one of the whites ends up with yolk in it. Room temperature egg whits are important, if they're cold from the fridge, they do not help the cakes rise as well. Also, separate each one in a small bowl, then add to the main batter, so that you're ensured of only the whites going in each time. There aren't really any easy egg substitutes here as the batter depends on egg whites.
*I feel like a little bit of orange zest or lemon zest mixed in with sugar would be amazing!
*Original recipe from David Lebovitz