Chocolate Financiers

These chocolate financiers are deliciously light French almond cakes flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and brown butter. They taste rich, but these mini tea cakes have a delicate texture and subtle sweetness that make them perfect for a mid-morning coffee break, afternoon tea, or dessert. 

this recipe

What is a financier?

A financier (pronounced fee-non-see-AY) is a French tea cake comprised most notably of almond flour, egg whites, and brown butter (beurre noisette). Powdered sugar is typically used as a sweetener (and will certainly work in this recipe!), though I often opt for granulated sugar since I always have it on hand.

Chocolate Financier Ingredients

To make this easy French pastry, you'll need all of the staple ingredients mentioned above, plus a few other important additions!

Ingredient Notes:

• This recipe calls for 1 stick of unsalted butter, measured before it's melted and browned. Brown the butter just before you start baking, since you'll need to add it to the chocolate chips while it's still hot. Though you can make this recipe with simple melted butter, you'll be missing out on the hint of nuttiness that make a financier's flavor so unique. I have a full post on how to brown butter; it's easy!
• You can use chocolate chips or baking chocolate that's been cut into small pieces. It's always worth it to spend a little more on higher quality chocolate; you'll absolutely notice a difference in the flavor of your financiers. Ghirardelli and Guittard make great products that won't break the bank. For the best balance of flavors, I recommend using semisweet chocolate. Dark chocolate could be slightly too bitter for this recipe.
• For best results, use almond flour instead of almond meal. They're similar, but almond flour is specifically made from ground almonds that have been peeled (or blanched), and has a finer texture that's better for making financiers.
• If you want to use confectioner's sugar instead of granulated sugar, use the same amount by weight - 149 grams, which is roughly 1 ¼ cups.
• You can make these chocolate financiers with natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa. Dutch cocoa will give them a deeper, more intense chocolate flavor.
• Espresso powder isn't a mandatory ingredient, but it does do an amazing job of amplifying the flavors in a chocolate dessert. I always use homemade espresso powder when I bake!
• You'll only need egg whites to make chocolate financiers, but save the yolks for another recipe, like this rich chocolate ice cream or a batch of cinnamon raisin rolls. You can also buy packaged egg whites to make things simple!

Prep your oven by preheating it to 425ºF. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. The liners will help prevent the edges of the financiers from burning, while still allowing them to get perfectly crisp!

If you haven't already, brown your butter in a frying pan over medium heat. As soon as you pull it off the stove, pour it into a small mixing bowl along with the chocolate, making sure you scrape up all of the milk solids at the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes, giving the chocolate time to melt. Then, add the vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.

In a second, large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt, making sure you break up any clumps in the process.

In another small bowl or glass measuring cup, beat the egg whites with a whisk until the surface appears foamy.

Add the eggs to the dry ingredients, folding them in with a rubber spatula until partially incorporated; the mixture will still look pretty dry. Then, add the butter and chocolate mixture and fold it in until fully incorporated. The batter will be quite thick.

Divide the financier batter evenly between the lined muffins cups - a large cookie scoop works well for this. Alternatively, you can pipe the batter into the muffin cups, since it will be quite thick. Gently smooth out the tops with a fingertip or small offset spatula if needed.

Bake the financiers at 425ºF for 20-25 minutes, or just until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs. Let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For a pretty finish, dust your chocolate financiers with powdered sugar before serving. (Use a baker's dusting wand to make this easy!) If you're serving these for dessert, they'd also be fantastic with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Financier Pastry FAQs

More Financier Recipes

Financier cakes are so easy to customize with various fruits and nuts - I've even turned them into layer cakes and cupcakes! Here are a few of my favorite renditions of this French classic: