Not-Birthday Hazelnut + Nectarine Friands

Soft nutty morsels of cake topped with tart nectarine pieces – a slice of Paris at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (100 grams) ground almonds
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) ground toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) soft brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour
• 6 ounces (170 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium nectarines, pitted and sliced into 12 wedges

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Standing or hand-held electric mixer (or whisk if you’re energetic)
• 12 well friand or small cake pan (1/2 cup capacity)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 180C (350F).  Brush the wells of your pan with melted butter and dust with flour. This recipe easily makes 12 cakes in half cup capacity pans so use any shape you like. If you have a little leftover batter just pop it in a ramekin and bake it alongside – cook’s treat.

If you need to toast your hazelnuts, roast them slowly in the oven turning them every few minutes until they are fragrant. Tip the hot nuts onto a tea towel, fold it over them and rub off the skins. Grind the nuts in a coffee grinder or bullet style blender for the best results.

Mix the ground nuts, sugars, flour and salt together.

Warm the butter until it is just melted and mix into the dry ingredients with the vanilla to make a thick paste.

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Stir about one third of the egg whites into the rest of the ingredients to loosen the mixture.

Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two batches.

Spoon into the prepared tins and lay two nectarine slices on top of each cake. Fill each one about 2/3 to 3/4 full. The cakes will rise up and then settle back a little once baked.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.The cakes should be golden and peaked in the centre. If you press gently they should spring back. The nectarines may sink and move a bit. No worries.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.

Cook’s Notes:

• If you want to double down on the nuttiness then brown the butter and let it cool before incorporating.
• If you don’t like or don’t have hazelnuts to hand, replace them with the same weight of ground almonds.
• Hazelnuts also go fabulously with apricots and plums so use what you can get your hands on.

 – These cakes are best the day they are made but will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days – 

Adapted from The Cooks Companion by Stephanie Alexander.

© 2017 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.