Baking is simple: mix flour, eggs, sugar, butter and place in the oven. But it's so boooring. That's why I'm always looking for something with a unique taste, texture, ingredients or cooking methods.
half the flour is almond flour (but could be pistachio or hazelnut)
only egg whites are used
The Financier also has some interesting stories about how a pastry shop in the area of the Paris Stock Exchange came up with cakes specially made in the shape and color of gold bars. I'm not sure about such tales, but I can clearly see that this is a stunning dessert: small enough to eat in two bites, the deep nutty flavor of brown butter and the smoothest texture because of almond flour. Whoever did this was a talented pastry chef.
A short version of the recipe is at the bottom of the page (click here to jump)
250g powdered sugar - I like from brown sugar, but white will work too
125g ground almonds
7 egg whites or 280-290 ml egg whites - very helpful if you only buy egg whites so the yolks don't go to waste
If you like, add some almond flakes on top of cakes
Step by step recipe
Mix white flour, almond flour and caster sugar
Prepare brown butter. There is a very detailed recipe on how to do this. Feel free to ask questions if you have any
Stir brown butter into flour mixture
Beat the whites until stiff peaks form
What does "stiff peaks" mean? This means that you see peaks and waves in the beaten egg whites that can hold their shape. When you remove the stopped mixer from the bowl, peaks will form on the whisk and egg mixture.
I highly recommend buying bottled egg whites because you only need the whites in this recipe, so throwing away the yolks would be a waste of a great product.
This recipe also makes a great addition to recipes that only call for yolks.
Gently stir in beaten whites into the flour and butter mixture
You just need to mix everything with a spatula without using a mixer. Just make sure the whites are incorporated but not completely broken down by vigorous stirring.
Pour the batter into the molds and [optional] sprinkle with almond flakes
Bake in a preheated (130-140 С) oven for 30 minutes
Cakes should be slightly brown on top
If you don't have a modern, well-functioning oven (like I don't), you'll have to adjust the temperature to suit your needs based on the size of the cakes and oven settings. But in general, these cakes require a lower temperature than regular sponges; for regular sponges you need 180 C. But at low temperatures, reaching readiness may take longer.
Text version of the recipe
Combine white flour (125g), almond flour (125g) and powdered sugar (250g)
Mix in the brown butter (from 250g butter)
Beat the whites until stiff peaks form (7 egg whites or 280-290 ml)
Gently stir in beaten whites into the flour and butter mixture
Pour the batter into the molds and sprinkle with almond flakes
Bake in a preheated (130-140 С) oven for 30 minutes
