Almond Teacakes (French Friands aux Amandes)

These delightful little cakes are based on the French Financiers, but are a little lighter and are also so quick and super easy to make. Friands and financiers are pretty much the same cake, just a different shape. The traditional friand tin produces oval shaped cakes and a financier tin produces oblong cakes. The basic Friand has an almond base and what makes these stand apart is the wealth of variations, only limited by your imagination. Always keep to the basic recipe and then make adjustments accordingly; see variation suggestions below. Make a traditional Friand in a miniature loaf tin, but if you don't have these, you can use any small tin. Silicone molds work well or use a mini muffin tin. The cake should just be a couple of bites, no bigger; they are quite delicate. Serve Friand as part of an afternoon tea or simply with a cup of tea. They make a great after-dinner Petit Fours and are perfect for parties, picnics, and the lunch box.

3 oz all-purpose flour, unbleached (75 g)
3 oz caster sugar (75 g)
3 oz almonds, ground (75 g)
4 large egg whites
4 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus a little extra for greasing (125 g)

Garnish:
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Sieve the flour into a large, roomy baking bowl. Add the caster sugar and the ground almonds and stir well. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy and light but not firm peaks (you are not making meringues).

Add the egg whites to the dry ingredients, add the butter and gently stir everything together until you have created a thickish cake batter.

Place 6 small, lightly greased loaf tins (they should hold about half a cup or 120 mL of liquid) onto a baking sheet. Using a dessert spoon, ¾ full with the cake batter. Clean up any spillages or cake batter on the cake tin rim or sides.

Cook in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden brown; when the center is pierced with a toothpick, it should come out clean.

Leave the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Once cooled, dust with icing sugar if using.

Makes 6 loaves (18 servings).

Cook's Notes: Friands are best eaten on the day they are made. They will keep for a couple of days in an airtight tin and will benefit from slightly warming in the oven before eating.

Variations:

• Coconut and Mango: Replace half the ground almonds with desiccated coconut and proceed with the recipe until filling the cake tins. Once the batter is in the tins, push small cubes of fresh, ripe mango into the batter and bake as usual.
• Lemon Friand: Add the zest of 1 unwaxed lemon to the dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
• Blueberry Friand: Once the cake batter is in the tin, push two or three blueberries into the cake batter and bake as usual. Only use fresh blueberries for this recipe. Any other summer fruit can also be used-raspberries, strawberry pieces, ripe pear pieces, etc.