Blueberry lemon financier recipe | eat. live. travel. write. (2024)

Categories cupcakes, French, recipes | January 25, 2021February 24, 2020 by Mardi Michels

Remember earlier this month when I announced that today, February 24th, is Canada’s eighth National Cupcake Day – raising money for SPCAs and Humane Societies across the country? That’s right – today is all about cupcakes – and raising money to help animals in need all around Canada.

This is my eighth year participating and I’m still a little short of my fundraising goal ( 🙁 ) but am hopeful that this recipe might raise enough funds to get me there.

(want to help out? You can donate to my “online bakeshop” raising money for the Toronto Humane Society here)

Since I can’t host a bake sale today, I’m sharing a recipe you can make yourselves! One cupcake you buy at a bake sale is good but a recipe you can make as many times as you like is even better! I’ll be bringing thee to work today to share with my colleagues (because who doesn’t love a cupcake on a Monday?) and hopefully some of them will donate to the great cause too!

This year, instead of the traditional cupcake route, I’ve chosen to make one of my favourite French tea cakes – financiers – which typically made in a special mold shaped like a gold bar. To make them more appropriate for National Cupcake Day (and for most people who don’t have that special mold!), I’ve used mini muffin tins which work very well because they give you a good crunchy exterior to fluffy interior ratio (v. important!).

Why are these cakes called “financiers”? It’s said that they were originally baked in an oval shape by nuns of the Order of the Visitation and called “visitandines”. A clever baker in Paris working near the financial district in the 19th century saw how they could be easily eaten on the go, and thought this would appeal to his busy banker clientele. He shaped the cakes like gold bars and named them financiers as a nod to both his clients and the surrounding district.

Lemon blueberry financiers

Easy almond tea cakes with a touch of lemon zest and a blueberry!

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time12 minutes 10 seconds

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 g/ 8 tablespoons/ 1 stick) unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
zest of 2 lemons (approx 2 tablespoons)
1/3 cup (50 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (50g) almond flour/ almond meal
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
24 blueberries
Icing sugar, to serve

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. (If you are using non-stick muffin tins you may not need to but otherwise) generously butter the mini muffin tins.
Melt the butter (either in a small pot on the stovetop over
medium heat or in a glass jug in the microwave for about 1 minutes). Set aside to cool.
Beat egg whites until frothy with electric beaters (1-2 minutes
on high).
In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fngertips then whisk in the almond meal and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until the dry ingredients are just combined.
Add the cooled, melted butter to the batter and use a rubber spatula to gently mix until the butter is completely incorporated.
Divide the batter between the muffin tins. You can do this witha 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop or a small teaspoon. You’ll want to fill each mold so it’s nearly full.
Press a blueberry into the middle of each mold.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the centre is slightly puffed and the edges are golden and slightly crispy and coming away from the pan. There may be cracks in the tops. Remove from the muffin pans immediately and allow to cool on wire cooling racks.
Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

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did you make this recipe?

please leave a comment or review on the blog or share a photo and tag me on Instagram @eatlivtravwrite !

Like the look of these? How about helping me support the Toronto Humane Society today?

Help me support animals in need!

Today, I’ll be sharing these cupcakes with my colleagues in exchange for donations. However, if you like the look of the recipe here today, you’re welcome to donate too. If you’d like to visit my “online bakery”, just head to my personal page on the National Cupcake Day website, where you will be able to donate to the cause.

Donations will be directed towards the Toronto Humane Society to help give a surrendered cat or dog a new forever home, rescue a neglected or abused animal and give them a second chance at a new life, and provide emergency surgery injured animals. Go on, the cats and dogs of Canada will thank you

Other cupcakes you might also enjoy:
National Cupcake Day 2013: Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2014: Jaffington Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2015: Little Orange and Almond Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2016: Jam and Cream Butterfly Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2017: Strawberry Yoghurt Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2018: Double Chocolate Buckwheat Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2019: Fudge-y Chocolate Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2020: Lemon-Blueberry Financiers

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