Another Christmas inspired flavour combination - chocolate and hazelnut. This time we're swapping out the traditional almond flour and swapping it for hazelnut flour instead and topping it off with some dark chocolate cream.
Watch how to make them below:
Yields: 8
Preparation Time: 60 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes
Oven Temperature: preheat to 200°C, bake at 180°C
EQUIPMENT
muffin/cupcake pan / mini muffin/cupcake pan / silicone mould - rectangular
piping bag and tip
INGREDIENTS
110g butter (88g brown butter)
3 egg whites
80g icing sugar
¼ tsp vanilla paste or extract
18g honey
50g hazelnut flour
40g plain flour (10% protein)
50g dark chocolate (55%)
150ml heavy cream (36% fat)
METHOD
Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan oven)
Step 1
In a stainless steel or light coloured pan brown the 110g butter over a low heat, stirring frequently. The butter should go through three phases: melting, boiling and finally foaming. Once the furious popping sound has died down and the butter is a golden brown, take it off the heat immediately and pour it into a heatproof container. Set it aside to cool.
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine 50g hazelnut flour and 40g plain flour. Give it a brief mix together then set aside.
Step 3
Next separate three eggs and add the three whites (around 96-99g total) to a large mixing bowl and loosen with a whisk until it begins to foam.
Step 4
To the egg whites, add 80g icing sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla and 18g honey and whisk until pale and creamy. Since we’re not using any leavening agents, we need to incorporate as much air as possible.
Step 5
Gently pour the dry ingredients over the egg whites and on a low speed bring it together until just combined. Take care not to over mix.
Step 6
Check that the brown butter is around 40-50°C before pouring it gently into the batter and whisking again on a low speed until fully incorporated.
Step 7
If you’re using a metal pan, line them with a thin layer of butter and flour. If you’re using a silicone mould you don’t need to line the mould.
Step 8
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a jug and fill 12 holes with batter, around half full.
Step 9
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (fan oven) and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they golden brown and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.
Step 10
While financiers are cooling, we can start to work on the chocolate cream. To a large mixing bowl, add in 50g dark chocolate.
Step 11
In a pan, warm up 75ml heavy cream until it starts to steam and bubbles appear around the edge of the pan.
Step 12
Pour the warmed cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute before stirring through until the chocolate has all melted.
Step 13
When you have a smooth, loose ganache, add in the remaining 75ml heavy cream and mix through. Pop the whole bowl into the fridge for around 10-15 minutes to cool it down again. Cold cream is easier to whip up.
Step 14
Whip the cream until it thickens, then pop it into the fridge for 20-30 minutes and it'll set a bit firmer; perfect for piping.
Step 15
Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice and decorate the top of the financiers as you want. Additionally, add some chocolate sprinkles or chopped nuts to finish it off.
