Raspberry Friands

A few weeks ago I wrote about friands, also known as “financiers.” The little almond cakes originated from France where they made their way to Australia and now have a firm place the cafe scene.

My first friand recipe had a tropical twist with the addition of mango and coconut. This time I made raspberry friands -- probably the most popular friand topping in Australia.

To shape the cakes, I used small, fluted “barquette” molds in the shape of a boat.

The friand has a reputation of being an extremely moist little cake. The basic composition of a friand is all-purpose flour, almond meal -- which is basically just ground almonds, a generous amount of butter and several egg whites.

The best thing about friands is not only are they delightful to eat, but you can whip them up in no time. They also keep really well for up to a week in an airtight container.

Photo: © S. Wongkaew (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc