Flirty Friends

Back to the yummy cakes we ate at our second Hot, Sweet and Yummy meeting. We have already scoffed David's strawberry shortcake, Jan's Layered Love Cake and Harry's Hot, Sweet and Yummy Heart cake so you'd think we would all be full up but there were many delicious things on the table still to be consumed! Fiona had tried out a recipe she'd had her eye on for a while but never got round to doing anything about it. She decided to have a go at some Friands.....not friends! These little cakes are popular in Australia (she thinks but not sure) but originate from the French Financier sponge cake. They are predominately made with egg white and almond but you can add all sorts of flavours apparently! How odd we all thought but looking at them, we didn't think they looked at all like a meringue!!! Anyway, Fiona had made hers with blueberries and in the shape of lovehearts, instead of the traditional rectangular shape. Apparently you can buy a friand pan especially for these little delights and Fiona thinks she might just do that as her hungry hoards at home all loved them and ate quite a few before our meeting. Well, they looked lovely, dusted with icing sugar and the blueberries had swollen up and burst so the friands has a lovely purply marbled effect through them. We greedily gobbled them up and all agreed that the egg white flavour hadn't come through which was a relief for Fiona as she worried they would taste like an omelette. Fiona, these were scrummy delicious and very unusual. We hope you experiment with other flavours and we can enjoy these again. Here is the recipe..
Fee's flirty friands
100g butter
4 large egg whites (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
45g plain flour
140g pure icing sugar
85g  ground almonds
1/2 tsp almond extract - not essence
About 40g (about 30 large) blueberries
Extra icing sugar, for dusting

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan). If you are not using a fan oven, adjust the oven rack to the middle position so the friands brown evenly.
• Grease a six hole muffin pan - I bought a silicone love heart shaped one especially but any non stick bun or muffin tin would do.
• Melt butter and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
• In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with a fork or whisk until foamy (about 30 seconds)
• Sift flour, icing sugar and ground almonds into the bowl with the egg whites.
• Stir ingredients together until just combined.
• Add the melted butter and almond extract to the bowl and stir until just combined.
• Divide mixture evenly among the holes of the prepared pan. Place about five blueberries in a cluster in the centre of each friand.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the friands are a light golden colour and spring back when lightly pressed. A thin-bladed knife or wooden skewer inserted into the centre of a friand should come out without any raw-looking batter attached.
• Remove friands from the oven and allow to stand in the pan for five minutes.
• Mine turned out really easily from the silicone mould but be careful if using a rigid pan...they seemed quite delicate.
• Dust a little icing sugar over each one once they are cool.

Fiona said she was in Tinderbox in Princes Square last week and they had friands for sale. She was most surprised as she thought they were an Ozzy thing only! Don't go rushing off there to buy one though...bake your own!

Love Hot, Sweet and Yummy xxx