All over New Zealand and Australia, we encountered delicious pastries called Friands, a descendant of the French financier. I found a recipe to try, baked and ate batch after batch until they were just right. Now, I am hooked on these moist almondy tea cakes. Yum!
In Nelson, New Zealand, we settled in for a longer stay, had a cute little kitchen, and I decided to take on more adventurous baking projects. Since my cooking life became free of wheat, I have been hesitant to start making my own flour mixes. I love to use ground nuts in baking and when a recipe calls for wheat flour, I have relied on Pamela’s brilliant flour blends as a substitute. Since we started traveling, I have been playing a bit with other flours. I have had some mean rice pancakes and throughout Asia, rice flour has been a good friend to me. In Nelson, I found a groovy little health food store with all sorts of bulk grains and flours. I picked up some millet flour because the flavor is so good and it is healthy as well.
Unlike many gluten-free baked goods, these tea cakes are fluffy and light in the centers thanks to the whipped egg whites.
INGREDIENTS
adapted from Raspberry Friand Recipe in Donna Hay December 2010
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 5 lightly whisked egg whites, room temp
- 1/4 cup millet flour
- 1/2 cup white rice flour
- (3/4 cup of cake flour can be substituted for the rice and millet flours)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- raspberries, fresh or frozen will do
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease muffin tin. Set aside.
Bring eggs to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, but not stiff.
In a separate bowl, sift baking powder, sugar and flours. Add ground almond to the dry ingredients. Stir.
Fold dry ingredients into egg whites.
Add melted butter. Stir to incorporate batter.
Pour batter into greased muffin tin and sprinkle a few raspberries over the tops.
Bake 25 minutes until golden.
makes 12
