Matcha Financiers

If there was only one thing in the world that I could make, it would be matcha financiers.

When my family goes to Japan, there is one thing that we always seek out. And that is, matcha financiers from a brand named Saryo. They don't have a branch in Singapore (the Kagurazaka Saryo in Vivo city is not the same!), so I've been trying to replicate their financiers since... basically forever.

Their financiers are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth and the bitter matcha is perfectly mellowed out by its sweetness. The closest in taste and texture would be Henri Charpentier's matcha financiers (totally worth trying despite its price). Regardless, I am obsessed, and I've spent over 3 years finding and perfecting my rendition of matcha financiers.

Thankfully, this effort has not gone to waste. My close friends and family have tried this recipe that I have been working on for so long, and they can definitely vouch for it. Sometimes I even consider changing my name from Taramisu to this.

Today, I share with you an in-depth post and recipe on the secrets behind financiers.

Financiers are traditionally small French almond cakes. They are made with the same ingredients as macarons (egg whites, almond flour, sugar), with the addition of browned butter. They normally have a crisp golden exterior and sweet, chewy interior.

Ingredients rundown:

Egg whites: these are not macarons, so it's okay if your eggs weren't cleanly separated and there is some yolk present. As eggs have many different sizes, it is important to weigh your egg whites for better accuracy.
Caster sugar: you can swap for other types of sugar, but the flavour will be slightly affected. Eg. Swapping for coconut sugar might give it a more coconut-y taste. Do not reduce the sugar in this recipe as the sugar is essential for the development of a caramelised crust.
Corn syrup: an important ingredient to take note of. For financiers, corn syrup provides an extra chewy and soft texture due to its nature as an invert sugar (liquid at room temperature). It prevents the sugars from crystallising, so the cakes remain chewier and more moist. If you don't wish to use corn syrup, you can swap for honey, rice syrup, or preferably liquid glucose (though who has this at home?).
Butter: absolutely not substitutable in this recipe. We brown the butter, essentially browning the milk fats present in the butter. In French, brown butter is called buerre noisette, because of its nutty flavour reminiscent of hazelnut. Browned butter has a lovely caramelised flavour and is truly the essence of this recipe. (If you are vegan, I have yet to find a substitute for browned butter. Vegan butter and margarine do not brown like regular butter does. You could possibly try melting vegan butter and infusing it with cashews or hazelnuts to impart that nuttiness.) I use President butter as the flavour is topnotch.
Ground almond: preferably superfine almond flour. If you are allergic to nuts like I am, there is no direct substitute for this. I am currently experimenting with using coconut flour in financiers instead, so stay tuned for more updates.
Flour: my recipe is tweaked specifically for all purpose flour. I have not tried with wholewheat alternatives, but I'm sure it will still taste roughly the same. Cake flour can be used as well, but it will create a more delicate, cake-y financier as opposed to dense and chewy.
Matcha powder: culinary grade matcha is recommended. Not to be confused with matcha latte pre-mixes or green tea leaves. I source my matcha from various places, but I'm currently a big fan of Matchaya's matcha powder. Great flavour and great value.
Baking powder: gives the cakes lift, and also creates that cracked top
Salt: rounds out the sweetness, and is really the secret ingredient of this recipe

Procedure notes:

Browning the butter: make sure that you can visibly see browned bits of butter in your pan. It should smell extremely nutty and caramel-like. Once it begins to brown, take your pan off the heat as the butter will continue to brown in the residual heat. Also, take note to let the butter cool as much as possible to avoid scrambling the egg whites.
Whisking: try to incorporate as little air as possible into the egg whites, as we are trying to achieve a dense and chewy financier
Refrigeration: optional but recommended. Refrigerating the batter will help it to thicken slightly and be easier to work with. Plus it gives a chance for the flavours to marry.
Pan: ideally, a financier pan should be used. However, if you do not own a financier pan, a Madeleine pan or muffin pan will work as well.

Matcha Financiers Recipe

Serving size: about 18 financiers

Ingredients

70-80g egg whites (about 2 egg whites)

80g caster sugar

10g corn syrup

90g unsalted butter

50g ground almond

30g all purpose flour

8-10g matcha powder (depends on how strong you want the flavour to be)

Scant 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Brown butter in a pan over low heat. Watch carefully as the butter will brown quickly. Let cool to room temperature.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and corn syrup. Whisk only to loosen but do not whip.

3. Sift all the dry ingredients: flour, almond flour, baking powder, matcha, salt into the same bowl. Whisk until just barely combined. (It's okay if there are some streaks of flour left)

4. Drizzle in cooled browned butter while whisking simultaneously. Mix until just combined.

5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350˚F or 180˚C. Grease baking pan with butter.

7. Transfer batter into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Cut a hole at the bottom and use this to fill the pan of choice.

8. Bake the financiers for 11-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check around the 10 minute mark as we want to avoid over-baking these cakes. The outside should be golden and browned at the edges.

9. Let cool before removing from pans.

Once you make these for your family and friends, they will never stop requesting for it. I would know...

Hope you manage to try these out someday!