Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 180 g icing sugar, sifted
- 120 g almond meal
- 50 g plain flour
- 1 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 180 g egg whites, room temperature
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Add-ins and Garnish
- 75 g fresh raspberries, halved if large
- 15 g flaked almonds
- 5 g icing sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 242 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 59 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 27 mg
- Potassium
- 125 mg
- Calcium
- 37 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 35 mg
- Phosphorus
- 66 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 86 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.21 mg
- Niacin
- 0.5 mg
- Folate
- 8 mcg
- Water
- 22 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F. Generously butter the holes of a 12-hole friand pan or muffin tin, even if using a non-stick pan.
Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt and simmer until it foams and smells nutty, about 3 to 4 minutes, to create a beurre noisette (brown butter). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Sift the icing sugar and plain flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the almond meal and salt, stirring briefly to combine the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are lightly frothy. Do not whip them into stiff peaks; they should just be broken up and bubbly.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the frothy egg whites and gently fold the mixture using a spatula until just combined.
Pour the slightly cooled browned butter and vanilla extract into the batter. Gently stir until the batter is smooth and the butter is fully incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the greased pan holes, filling each about two-thirds full. Press one or two raspberries into the top of each friand, and scatter with flaked almonds if using.
Bake in the preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 20 to 25 minutes. The friands are done when the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back slightly when gently pressed.
Allow the friands to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Browning the butter (making beurre noisette) is highly recommended over simply melting it. It provides a distinct toasted, caramel-like warmth that elevates the almond flavor.
- Egg whites provide all the lift for this recipe. Keep them strictly frothy; whipping them to peaks introduces too much air, which causes the friands to rise rapidly and then collapse, resulting in a dense texture.
- If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw them beforehand to prevent their juices from bleeding into the batter. You may need to add 2 to 3 minutes to the total baking time.
- For the cleanest release from the pan, you can brush the molds with softened butter using upward strokes, chill the pan for 5 minutes, and brush with a second coat before filling.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container to maintain moisture.
Freezer: 1 month — Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw at room temperature.
Troubleshooting
Friands are stuck inside the pan
Cause: Molds were not adequately greased or the cakes were left to cool in the pan for too long
Fix: Run a thin, flexible knife or offset spatula gently around the edges while they are still warm.
Prevention: Thoroughly brush molds with melted butter and lightly dust with flour before adding batter. Remove from pans after exactly 5 minutes of cooling.
Texture is tough and rubbery rather than tender
Cause: Overmixing the batter or whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Only whisk egg whites until frothy, and fold the batter until ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overwork the flour.
Cultural Context
Friands are highly popular small cakes in French and Australasian bakeries, directly descended from the French financier. While traditional financiers are baked in small rectangular molds to resemble bars of gold, friands are typically baked in oval molds and frequently incorporate fruits like raspberries, blueberries, or stone fruits to contrast their sweet, nutty profile.
