Name: Financiers (Almond–Browned Butter Cakes)
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3/4 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) finely ground almond flour; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces/113 grams) sugar; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/8 teaspoon table salt; 1/3 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) egg whites (3 to 4 large eggs)

Why This Recipe Works

For financiers with complex almond flavor and contrasting textures, we started by spraying a mini-muffin tin with baking spray with flour. The flour in the spray helped the sides of the cakes rise along with the center, preventing doming. We then stirred together almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, and egg whites. We opted for granulated sugar, which doesn't totally dissolve in the egg whites, to ensure a pleasantly coarse texture. Once these ingredients were whisked together, it was just a matter of stirring in nutty browned butter and baking the cakes.

Want more? Read the whole story

Before You Begin

You'll need a 24-cup mini-muffin tin for this recipe. Because egg whites can vary in size, measuring the whites by weight or volume is essential. Baking spray with flour ensures that the cakes bake up with appropriately flat tops; we don't recommend substituting vegetable oil spray in this recipe. To enjoy the crisp edges of the cakes, eat them on the day they're baked; store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray 24-cup mini-muffin tin with baking spray with flour. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and scraping skillet constantly with rubber spatula, until milk solids are dark golden brown and butter has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer butter to heatproof bowl.

Whisk almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt together in second bowl. Add egg whites. Using rubber spatula, stir until combined, mashing any lumps against side of bowl until mixture is smooth. Stir in butter until incorporated. Distribute batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (cups will be about half full).

Bake until edges are well browned and tops are golden, about 14 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Remove tin from oven and immediately invert wire rack on top of tin. Invert rack and tin; carefully remove tin. Turn cakes right side up and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.