Orange And Berry Friands | With Gluten Free Option

The best way to use up excess egg whites in my opinion is always cake, and these Orange and Berry Friands are going to be your best friend from now on if you happen to have some begging to be baked into something delicious. 🥚🥚🥚

Friands are actually French financier cakes and were originally baked into gold-bar-shaped mini cakes. 

 

A lovely follower on my Facebook page informed me that Lasnè, a French Pâtissier wanted them to look like Gold Ingots as the bakery was near the mint 💰

In Australia and other parts of the world, they are baked into oval shapes, and go by the name of Friands...same same but different I spose!🤔

Recently, I had a dilemma about not having a friand tin to bake these in so that the photo I supplied could be 'correct'! 

I spent quite a bit of time wrestling with my inner perfectionist because I couldn't justify buying a purpose made oval friand tin, just so they would look the way they're 'supposed to'. 

I mean...who decided Friands should be oval shaped anyway?

Well as it turns out...an Aussie of course! 

Apparently...an Aussie cook wanted to make them but didn't have the correct shaped tins so he/she used aspic molds instead.

What's an aspic mould I hear you say? I had no idea either so I looked it up.

 They're little oval shaped tin molds used for setting meat gelatin (savoury jelly thingies).

So if an Aussie can change them to oval, I think as a Aussie myself I can change them too...from this point forward you have my permission for friands to be round...I mean seriously, do you really need another baking tin in your cupboard!

Mind you...I can't guarantee my OCD won't kick in if I find a friands tin somewhere waiting for me to take it home and claim it's rightful place in my cake tin drawer...I'm sure I could make some room in there somewhere 😆

Orange And Berry Friands

Ingredients

• 100g unsalted butter, melted
• 100g icing sugar, plus extra for finishing
• 25g plain flour (for gluten free option use cassava flour or gf plain flour)
• 85g almond meal
• 3 egg whites (90g) 
• Zest of 1 orange
• 85g of mixed fresh or frozen berries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan forced.
2. Melt the butter then using a pastry brush, generously butter a 12 hole friand or muffin pan, set the butter aside to cool.
3. Place icing sugar, almond flour and plain flour into a medium bowl, the using a whisk combine thoroughly.
4. Add the butter and orange zest to the flour mixture and combine until completely incorporated.
5. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until the mixture is frothy and only just beginning to hold its shape.
6. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the flour mixture and combine well.
7. Add the remaining egg whites to the mixture and fold through gently until all the ingredients are combined.
8. Divide the batter into the friand or muffin pan, arrange 3 – 4 berries on the surface of each, then bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops are firm to touch.
9. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then run a small spatula or knife around the edge and gently lift out of the tins.

Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack then dust with icing sugar to serve.

Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, if you have any questions at all just let me know.

Happy Baking!

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