Corentin Scavée
23 Dec 2016
What makes a good financier?
Sugar, almonds and above all butter! These are the 3 main ingredients of a good financier. For once, Easyvest offers you a lighter post than our usual financial topics. Discover the origin and the recipe of a delicious cake in the shape of a gold bullion dedicated to investors. Impress your guests with our delicious recipe!
What is a financier?
The financier is a small cake made from almonds, golden and crispy outside while soft inside. It is made up of sugar, butter, almond powder, flour, and egg whites. This little almond cake that was born in the 12th century in a French convent was first known as Visitandine. Like most pastries made from almonds, it was eclipsed after the Renaissance, its smell of almond recalling that of cyanide.
It was at the end of the 19th century that the Parisian pastry chef Lasne put the cake back into style. Its establishment being located a few steps away from the stock exchange, its customers were mainly financiers wanting to eat sweet snacks without wasting time. To give his cake more appeal to its investor clientele, the pastry chef had the idea of calling it "financier" and presenting it in the shape of a gold bullion.
When to make financiers?
Any occasion is good to make financiers since their preparation takes only a few minutes. Moreover, the financiers being made up solely of egg whites, this pastry is perfect to avoid leftovers from recipes only requiring egg yolk (e.g. pastry cream, sabayon).
Serve them cold or warm for the afternoon snack, when you receive friends for tea, to close a dinner with a coffee or herbal tea, or simply slip them into your children's bread box as a snack at the recreation.
What utensils and ingredients do I need?
No need for much material to prepare financiers. You should use a large bowl to mix the ingredients, a pan to melt the butter, a spatula to mix the dough, and molds for financiers. These molds may be made of silicone or metal, and can be rectangular, oval, or round.
As for the ingredients, except the almond powder, you find all the basics of pastry:
- 150 g of sugar
- 130 g butter
- 80 g almond powder
- 50 g flour
- 3 egg whites
By respecting these quantities, you should be able to prepare between 12 and 18 financiers, depending on the size of your molds.
A simple recipe
The preparation will not take you more than 15 min, so start immediately by turning on the oven at 200°C in convection heat mode.
Then melt the butter in the pan until it takes a nice nutty color, and let it cool down a bit.
In the large bowl, stir the sugar, the flour, and the almond powder. Add the egg whites and mix to obtain a homogeneous paste. Then add the butter to the mixture and stir until the dough becomes smooth.
Finally, fill the molds while leaving a bit of room for the cakes to rise. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size and depth of your molds. The financier must be slightly brown on the edges but be careful not to let it burn. To ensure the immersed part of the cake is also golden, place the molds on a rack and not a cooking plate that will prevent the convection heat from wrapping your molds.
Let it cool before eating. The financiers can easily be kept for a few days, preferably in an iron box. The heart usually remains soft while the outside becomes slightly crispy after a few hours. Avoid the fridge, it makes them compact.
Enjoy!
Note: This article was written when Easyvest was authorized and regulated by the FSMA as an agent in banking and investment services.