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Great British Bake Off star Manon Lagréve’s exclusive no-flour financiers cake recipe
It’s no surprise that a country so well known for its love of tea also has a passion for baking. Cooking up afternoon treats has become one of the most popular ways for Britons to get through the coronavirus lockdown. However, as supermarkets struggle to keep up with the demand and flour aisles remain bare, it’s getting harder for bakers to get the ingredients they need – which is why flourless cake recipes are the new baking trend.
Not ones to be beaten, those looking for a sugar fix are turning to flour-free baking recipes that either use flour substitutes or simply skip the ingredient altogether.
While most cake recipes will use self-raising flour as one of the main components, the increase in free-from ingredients and foods has meant that gluten-free flours have become more popular.
Bakers who want to avoid gluten have been using nut flours for years to create their afternoon tea treats, and as the lockdown restricts people to use whatever’s in their cupboard, they’re now making their own.
Frustrated bakers can use nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts and grind them into a “flour” that can be used for a cake mix.
Ground almonds have long been the most common alternative to wheat flour – and all you need is a food processor to grind them up.
READ MORE: Flourless lemon drizzle cake recipe: This Morning chef shares delicious flour-free treat
She then started her blog, Manon’s Little Kitchen, in 2016, before successfully applying to be on the Channel 4 show.
The baker now has over 130k followers on Instagram where she regularly shares her latest cakes and creations.
The star has also teamed up with Maple from Canada to support their maple syrup producers; maple syrup is often used as a sugar replacement, or to top up sugar quantities in recipes for cakes that are just as sweet.
Exclusively for Express.co.uk, Manon has created a flour-free baking recipe for financiers – a small french almond cake that earned its name from its traditional rectangular shape, which resembles a bar of gold.
Method
Start by browning the butter. Place the butter in a pan, and cook it on medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter starts to take a lovely brown and caramel colour. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix the hazelnuts, almonds and icing sugar and mix well. Add the egg whites and the pure Canadian maple syrup and whisk it until you get some sort of a paste.
Pre heat the oven at 150C (Fan oven).
Finally, add the brown butter and mix to get a silky batter.
Divide the mix in your mini moulds and sprinkle with extra hazelnuts on top. Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm or cold.
Published at Sun, 10 May 2020 03:01:00 +0000
