MAKES 12
INGREDIENTS:
Financier Cake
80g (¾ stick) unsalted butter, diced
Zest of 2 oranges
2 large egg whites
60g (scant 2/3 cup) almond flour
20g (2½ tablespoons) plain flour
80g (2/3 cup) icing sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
Orange Jelly
3 sheets gelatine
200ml (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) orange juice (3–4 navel oranges)
½ tablespoon caster sugar
A few drops orange extract (optional)
Chocolate Coating
125g dark or milk chocolate, tempered
METHOD:
- To make the jelly, line a 20cm round cake tin (pan) with a couple of layers of cling film. Add the gelatine to a small bowl, cover with ice-cold water and set aside for 5 minutes or until soft. Put the orange juice, sugar and orange extract, if using, in a small saucepan, place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. remove the pan from the heat. remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze out any excess. Add the gelatine to the orange mixture and stir to combine. Once the gelatine has dissolved, pour the jelly into the prepared tin. Transfer to the refrigerator and leave until set, a couple hours.
- For the cake bases, lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin and preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C. Most muffin tins are made with a non-stick coating but if yours isn’t, dust the holes with a thin coating of flour, tapping out any excess, to ensure the cakes release once baked. Put the butter and orange zest in a small saucepan and place over a medium heat to brown. At first, the butter will splatter, as the water cooks out, but it will then start to foam. It is at this stage you need to watch for the appearance of brown flecks as this is the sign the butter is browned. Whilst the butter cooks, place the remaining cake ingredients in a bowl and stir to form a thick batter. As soon as the butter browns, pour it into the batter and stir until fully combined. The batter can then be used immediately or, if you prefer, it can be refrigerated for up to two days.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin holes, then bake in the preheated oven for 8–9 minutes or until the cakes have a golden ring around the edges. remove from the oven and set aside for 1–2 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To assemble, remove the jelly from the refrigerator and, using a 3.5–4cm round cookie cutter, cut out 12 discs of jelly, setting one atop each cake round. Leave for 10 minutes before adding the chocolate. If the jelly is cold the chocolate will set too quickly and it will be hard to get an even coating, so do not skip this 10-minute pause.
- Spoon a little of the tempered chocolate on top of the jelly, using the spoon to spread it evenly and tease it over the sides and onto the cake. set aside until the chocolate has set.
- Kept in a sealed container, the cakes will keep for around 4 days.
Edited recipe extract from Chocolate Baking by Edd Kimber, published by Quadrille. $59.99.
PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW HAGUE
