Description
Decadent Chocolate Financiers featuring a rich chocolate ganache combined with delicate almond and flour batter, baked to perfection with a crisp exterior and moist, tender crumb. These elegant mini cakes are perfect for serving at tea time or as a refined dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
For Greasing
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (to grease the molds or mini cups)
For Chocolate Ganache
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate (chopped)
For Batter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup almond flour or finely ground almonds
- 4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 4 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Molds: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180°C). Grease 9 regular financier molds or about 18 mini muffin pans thoroughly with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to prevent sticking during baking.
- Make Chocolate Ganache: Place the 5 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate into a bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring ⅔ cup heavy cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for 1 minute to soften, then whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar, ⅓ cup almond flour, 4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed.
- Whip Egg Whites: In a clean bowl, whisk the 3 room-temperature egg whites until just foamy, not stiff. Gently pour the foamy whites over the dry ingredient mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.
- Add Melted Butter: Melt 4 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter and stir it into the batter mixture. Then, add this combined batter into the prepared chocolate ganache, mixing gently and minimally to keep the mixture light and airy.
- Fill and Bake: Spoon or pour the batter evenly into the prepared molds, filling each about ¾ full. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking to maintain moisture.
- Cool and Unmold: Remove the financiers from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before carefully unmolding. This ensures they hold their shape and texture.
Notes
- Using room temperature egg whites helps create a lighter batter and better texture.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the ganache to maintain the delicate crumb of the financiers.
- Almond flour can be substituted with finely ground almonds if unavailable.
- Make sure molds are well-greased to ensure easy removal of financiers.
- Serve financiers slightly warm or at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: Chocolate financiers, almond cakes, French dessert, bite-sized cakes, chocolate ganache, almond flour dessert
