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Raspberry Friands

Raspberry Friands

By Hisham Ali HassanFebruary 12, 2024

  • Makes
    Makes 24 mini cakes
  • Cook Time
    55 minutes
  • Active time plus cooling
    25 minutes active, plus cooling
  • Rating

A relative of French financiers, Australian friands are miniature cakes. Like financiers, they feature nutty almond flour and get their light, chewy texture from egg whites. What sets friands apart is the addition of fresh fruit, and instead of a bar shape, they’re baked in small ovals or rounds. We opted for an easy-to-find mini muffin pan. Browned butter elevates the flavor, adding richness and complexity that complement the nuttiness of the almond flour. We love the bright, floral combination of raspberries and orange zest, but blueberries and lemon zest are a fantastic combination, too. (Simply substitute lemon zest for the orange zest and drop 2 or 3 blueberries in the batter in each cup before baking.) These cakes are best the day of baking, when the crispness of the exteriors contrasts with the chewiness of the crumb, but extras can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple days.

Tip

Don’t skip sifting the dry ingredients. Almond flour and powdered sugar both tend to clump, so sifting is essential for a smooth batter and light, even texture in the baked cakes.

Ingredients
  • 113

    grams (8 tablespoons) salted butter

  • 2

    teaspoons grated orange zest

  • ½

    teaspoon almond extract

  • 155

    grams (1¼ cups) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

  • 125

    grams (1¼ cups) almond flour

  • 33

    grams (¼ cup) all-purpose flour

  • ¾

    teaspoon table salt

  • 6

    large egg whites

  • 24

    raspberries (from a 1-pint container)

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position. Mist two 12-cup mini muffin pans or one 24-cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray. In a small saucepan over medium, cook the butter, swirling the pan often, until the milk solids at the bottom are golden brown and the butter has a nutty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Stir in the orange zest and almond extract; set aside.

Step 2

Sift the powdered sugar, both flours and the salt into a large bowl; whisk to combine and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and opaque but not to the soft-peak stage, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the whites to the dry ingredients and, using a silicone spatula, gently fold until there are no dry bits but lots of white streaks remain. Add the butter mixture and fold until homogenous.

Step 3

Evenly divide the batter among the muffin cups. Place 1 raspberry, pointed end up, in the center of each cup and gently press it into the batter until it only peeks out the top. Bake until deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan(s) on a wire rack for 5 minutes. One at a time, gently pry the cakes loose with a butter knife, lift them out of the pan and set them directly on the rack. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

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