Melt in your mouth goodness!!

The Backstory: Hanukkah is a truly special time – we celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and honor the Festival of Lights with eating foods cooked in oil, playing with the dreidel and giving the gift of Hanukkah gelt. More of the Backstory after the recipe…

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Raspberry Financiers

Melt-in-your-mouth pastry gets its delightful flavor from butter, almond, and honey. These Hanukkah cakes are the perfect ending to a festive holiday meal or for any occasion when a delicious dessert will do.

Course Desserts

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 45 mini cakes

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil or cooking spray
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 cups sliced almonds lightly toasted and finely ground
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar sifted
• 3/4 cup cake flour sifted (not self-rising)
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup raspberries, extra for garnish pureed and strained (1/2 cup)
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat mini cupcake tins with cooking spray.
2. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add honey, and whisk until combined. Remove from heat.
3. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine almonds, sugars, flour, and salt on low speed. Raise speed to medium-high, and add egg whites, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low, and add warm butter-honey mixture in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to high, and beat for 45 seconds.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling each halfway. Spoon a scant ½ teaspoon raspberry puree near one edge of each cup. Draw a skewer or the tip of a paring knife through puree toward opposite edge of cup to form a heart shape if desired.
5. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in tins on wire racks. Using a small offset spatula, carefully unmold financiers, and transfer to rack.
6. When cool, garnish with fresh raspberries and dust with Confectioner's sugar.

…The Backstory continues: Financiers are small French cakes that are truly delightful. Traditionally, they are baked in a rectangular shape and look like small bars of gold, hence their name. Some argue and say that they were named financiers because they became popular among bankers in the financial district of Paris. Either way, these cakes can be used as a mouth-watering representation of Hanukkah gelt.

For this recipe, I used small tart tins. With their signature ingredient of beurre noisette (brown butter), these light, melt-in-your-mouth treats have a spongy texture, an almondy taste. Whether you choose to bake them for Hanukkah or just as a dessert, financiers make a lovely addition to your menu.

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Nicole Beale

Nicky Beale is an avid cook and food photographer who hails from Johannesburg, South Africa. She is excited to be a part of The Jewish Kitchen — a special community that celebrates food, culture and family — as it was exactly this that made her feel more at home while living abroad. When she's not in the kitchen, Nicky works in television production on shows for the likes of Syfy and Starz. She earned a Master of Science degree in Television Production from Boston University and obtained her undergraduate degree in film theory and journalism from the University of Cape Town.

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