Simple yet exquisite, Raspberry Financiers are lovely little French almond cakes with crispy exteriors and insides as soft as a pillow. Surprisingly quick and easy to make.

I love these little cakes. I love their simplicity. I love their elegance. They’re as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. Subtle and understated, with a delicate fragrance of almonds, they’re not overly sweet.

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How are Raspberry Financiers Made?

Financiers (pronounced fee-nahn-see-AY) have been a staple of pastry shops for more than a century in France. They're usually made with browned butter; however, this version is from Nick Malgieri, who adds raspberries for a lovely little burst of flavor. Instead of browning the butter, he uses softened butter for a moist texture that holds the berries in suspension, rather than having them fall to the bottom.

How to bake

I’ve made these Raspberry Financiers in 4 inch, nonstick tart molds, however you can make them in any little shape. While traditional financiers are baked in a rectangular bar mold, there’s no need to buy a fancy pan. Some suggestions are:

Mini muffin tin

Mini loaf pan s

Small tartlet molds

Muffin tin

What kind of ground almonds do I use?

This recipe calls for ground almonds. I grind whole almonds in the food processor until they are as fine as I can get them. They don’t turn into a fine powder. For these Raspberry Financiers, I boiled almonds for one minute to loosen the skins, drained them, rubbed them in a towel, and easily removed the skins. You can also use almonds with the skins on. It will produce a little bit darker cake with rustic looking flecks of skin. Almond flour can also be used in financiers. It will make a finer but denser cake.

How to make

Who would have ever thought that such an elegant French pastry would be so easy to make? In this recipe, ground almonds, flour, sugar, butter, and a small amount of lemon zest are creamed together for two minutes. (The financiers won't have a lemony flavor. The zest just accentuates the almond and raspberry.) Egg whites and vanilla are beat in - and that's it! It's so simple.

The batter is spooned into the tart pans, molds, or mini muffin tin - which ever you are using. A couple of raspberries are placed on top, then a sprinkling of almonds. (Note to self: Never use three raspberries again when taking photos if you don't want your cakes to look like creepy little alien faces. They looked fine in real life!)

The financiers are baked until golden brown, especially around the edges. This is what makes them so crispy on the outside. Let cool for a minute or two, then remove from the mold. If you leave them too long, they will start to lose crispness. I use nonstick tart pans that are sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. You could also butter and flour the molds. If they have any trouble coming out, turn them upside down holding your fingers on the edges and press your thumbs in the middle of the bottom to release the cakes.

Let the Raspberry Financiers cool on a cooling rack. Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the tops before serving. They are the very best when eaten on the same day they are made.

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