Culture Street

Friands are small cakes made with almond meal and whisked egg white that are based on the French financier (interestingly, a French friand is a sausage roll). They’re a breeze to make, as all the ingredients are simply folded into the whisked egg whites and then baked.

Ingredients

6 egg whites, at room temperature

160 g (5¾ oz) butter, melted and cooled

250 g (9 oz/2 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar

125 g (4½ oz/1¼ cups) almond meal

100 g (3½ oz/2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

150 g (5½ oz) frozen blueberries

20 g (¾ oz/¼ cup) flaked almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/ Gas 6). Lightly grease a 12-hole friand tin (see tips) with melted butter.

2. Use a balloon whisk to whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy but not firm. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, icing sugar, almond meal and flour until just combined. Quickly stir through the frozen blueberries.

3. Divide the mixture evenly among the greased friand holes and sprinkle
with flaked almonds.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a friand comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

VARIATIONS
Raspberry and pistachio friands:

Replace the blueberries with frozen raspberries and the flaked almonds with roughly chopped pistachios.

Cherry and hazelnut friands:

Replace the almond meal with ground

hazelnuts and the blueberries with frozen cherries. Omit the flaked almonds.

TIPS: Friand tins are available from large supermarkets and kitchenware stores. You can also use a 12 - hole 80 ml (2½ fl oz/1/3 cup) muffin tin. Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Recipe from Mastering the Basics, BAKING published by Murdoch Book, RRP $24.95. Available now from bookshops and online.

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