blackberry lime friands

These lovely little treats are very popular in Australia, and may be derived from the traditional French petit four financiers. They have a slightly crunchy exterior and a buttery-nutty flavor; outside they are a bit chewy, inside, soft and almondy.

They are such a perfect treat with morning coffee, and very moreish. But, then again they are equally good served warm with ice-cream or cream!

Traditionally friands are cooked in oval friand tins, but I don't have any, so have cooked these in a standard muffin tin.

blackberry lime friands

(Adapted from Mary Cadogan)

100g unsalted butter

140g icing sugar

45g plain flour

85g ground almonds

4 egg whites

grated rind of 2 limes

• preheat oven to 190 degrees / Gas 5 and butter muffin tin.
• melt butter and leave to cool
• whisk the egg whites for about a minute until you get a light, floppy foam
• sift the almonds, flour, and icing sugar into the egg whites and stir to just combine
• stir in the melted butter and lime rind lightly and then divide between the tins
• drop one to two blackberries onto the top of each cake (don't overdo the fruit as the friand mixture is very light and won't hold together too well if there's too much fruit to the batter)
• bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until light golden and firm to the touch
• leave to cool in the tin for at least 5 minutes to allow the friands to firm up a little before running a knife around the outside of each friand to loosen them

the friands will store in an airtight container, or in the fridge. But, they are really best eaten on the day that they are made!