Lemon Financiers
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Lemon financiers bring a zesty, refreshing twist to your dessert table. Get ready to impress with this step-by-step guide to creating these elegant treats topped with lemon whipped ganache!
Recipe At a Glance
Financiers are these amazing little almond cakes that get their kick from brown butter. Add a bit of lemon zest and juice, and you’ve got a lemony twist on a French classic. We tweak the usual recipe by upping the almond and cake flour to make sure the mini cakes come out moist but not soggy.
I decided to go one step further by adding a simple lemon whipped ganache on top. It gives the financiers a nice double hit of lemon and makes them look a bit more like cupcakes, which is great for anyone who might not be familiar with the traditional version.
Here’s the deal with making them: the batter is quick to whip up, taking about 20 minutes, and they bake in just 13 to 15 minutes. The ganache is pretty fast too; you’ll spend about 10 to 15 minutes getting it ready, a couple more whipping it up, and a few minutes to pipe it on the cakes. The only catch is that you need to let the ganache chill for at least 6 hours to thicken up.
In short, if you want to top the financiers with lemon whipped ganache, plan ahead—it’s not a last-minute dessert, but it’s totally worth the wait.
Making lemon financiers for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.
Extra Learning
Before we jump in, here are a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:
- How to make brown butter. My quick tutorial on making brown butter. Highly recommended if this is your first time browning butter.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutes
Lemon Financiers
- Egg whites. The base for the mini almond cakes.
- Unsalted butter. We’ll brown the butter to infuse the cakes with its characteristic flavor and aroma.
- Lemon. Organic if possible, as we’ll use both the juice and the zest.
- Sugar. Regular white sugar is perfect, though you can use powdered sugar if that’s what you have.
- Honey. Honey helps to keep the cakes super moist. To substitute, you could increase the amount of sugar. While the cakes might not be as moist, the ample amount of other liquids (egg whites, butter) in the recipe will help keep them somewhat moist.
- Almond flour. Go with store-bought, or you can make it at home if you have some blanched almonds on hand.
- Cake flour. I use cake flour for the financiers based on the Hanbit Cho’s recommendation, but I’ve seen people have success with all-purpose flour as well. The recipe doesn’t use that much flour anyway, so substituting with AP flour shouldn’t be a big deal.
- Vanilla extract. Optional, but a bit helps improve the flavor.
- Baking powder. If you prefer your financiers fluffy and cupcake-like, add baking powder, or omit it for a denser texture. I recommend using baking powder for first-timers.
Lemon Whipped Ganache
- White chocolate. Couverture chocolate or any other one that melts easily works great, but your favorite white chocolate should work just as well.
- Heavy cream. Use your go-to brand for whipping.
- Lemon. Organic if possible, as we’ll be using both the zest and the juice.
- Gelatin. I use powdered gelatin, but you can use an equivalent in gelatin leaves if that’s what you prefer.
How to Make Lemon Financiers with Lemon Frosting
The high-level gameplan for these looks like this:
- Prep and refrigerate the lemon ganache, so it thickens before whipping.
- Make and bake the financiers.
- Whip the lemon ganache and top the cooled mini cakes.
Let’s do it.
Step 1: Prep Lemon Whipped Ganache
- Bloom the gelatin. Pour the water over the gelatin in a tiny bowl and stir it. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to bloom, so it should be ready by the time you need it.
- Prepare the lemon. Wash the lemon thoroughly, place it on a countertop, and roll it back and forth a few times, applying firm pressure. Rolling the lemon helps extract more juice and makes it easier. Then zest (I like using a microplane for this) and juice the lemon.
Use microplane to scrape off lemon zest- Squeeze out the juice from the lemon
- Prepare the chocolate. Finely chop the white chocolate and place it into a large heatproof bowl. White chocolate melts easily, so there’s no need for a super fine and precise chop. Plus, we will blend the chocolate with the heavy cream anyway.
- Heat the cream and lemon zest. Heat half the heavy cream and the lemon zest over medium heat in a small saucepan until the cream just begins to simmer. Do not let it boil over; you’re looking for small bubbles near the edges of the pot and a bit of steam. Take the cream off the heat.
- (Optional) Steep. Let the cream and lemon zest steep for 20 to 30 minutes to extract more lemon flavor from the zest. Then, bring it back to a simmer and take off the heat. Skip this step if you’re in a hurry.
- Add gelatin. Add the bloomed gelatin to the hot cream mixture and whisk until it dissolves.
- Heat half the cream with lemon zest
- Add the bloomed gelatin
- Whisk until gelatin is dissolved
- Combine chocolate and cream. Pour the hot cream and gelatin mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 1 minute for the chocolate to warm and start melting. After a minute, whisk the mixture until the chocolate fully melts and the mixture is smooth. Grab an immersion blender and blend for a minute to make sure all the chocolate is incorporated.
- Pour the hot cream and gelatin mixture
- Whisk until white chocolate melts
- Use an immersion blender to blend
- Add remaining cream and lemon juice. Pour the remaining cream (the portion that wasn’t heated) and stir, then pour the lemon juice into the mixture and blend for another minute. That quickly lowers the temperature of the ganache, making it ready for refrigeration.
- Add the remaining cream
- Pour the lemon juice
- Stir in the cream and lemon juice
- Blend mixture for about a minute
- (Optional) Strain. If you don’t want lemon zest in your frosting, now is the time to get rid of it. I typically leave it in.
- Cover and refrigerate. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is in direct contact with the surface of the ganache. That prevents a skin from forming. Put the bowl in the fridge for 6+ hours, ideally overnight.
Step 2: Make Lemon Financiers
(Read my financier recipe for tips on making financiers.)
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Brown butter. Begin by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter becomes golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma (brown butter is also known as hazelnut butter for this reason). Depending on the heat, the browning process usually takes 5 to 10 minutes once the butter has melted. Initially, you’ll hear a sizzling sound, followed by bubbling and then a crackling noise. That’s when you should pay close attention to the butter as it should be ready (brown and smelling nutty) soon. Once browned, remove from heat and place in a bowl of cold water so that it cools.
- Place butter in a saucepan
- Cook over medium heat
- Stir until butter browns and smells nutty
- Prepare the lemon. Wash the lemon thoroughly, place it on a countertop, and roll it back and forth a few times while applying firm pressure. Rolling the lemon helps extract more juice and makes it easier. Then zest (I like using a microplane for this) and juice the lemon.
- Use microplane to scrape off lemon zest
- Squeeze out the juice from the lemon
- Mix egg whites and sugar. Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl and whisk until combined. You don’t need to whip the whites – a good stir that makes a tiny bit of foam is good enough.
- Add sugar and egg whites in a bowl
- whisk until combined
- and a bit of foam is formed
- Add honey and vanilla. Pour the honey and vanilla extract into the bowl and mix everything.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift and mix together the almond flour, cake flour, and baking powder. Then, add the mixed ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Sift and mix the dry
- ingredients in the bowl
- and stir to combine
- Add butter. Pour the brown butter into the bowl, including all the dark bits on the bottom of the pot, and stir to combine. Make sure the butter isn’t super hot so it doesn’t cook the whites.
- Add the melted brown butter
- Scrape and pour in all the bits.
- Mix the batter thoroughly
- Add lemon juice and zest. Add all the lemony goodness and stir to combine.
- Add the lemon juice and zest
- Stir the mixture thoroughly
- Prepare the pan. For the financiers to come off the pan, you need to grease the mold with butter. The way I like to do this is to scoop some butter onto a piece of wax paper and spread it around the interior surface of the pan, trying to cover everything, including corners and edges. Once done, I use my index finger to spread the butter more evenly and reach all surfaces I might’ve missed. If your pan isn’t non-stick, dust it with AP flour or white sugar to make a non-stick layer. Cover everything and tap out any excess that doesn’t stick to the butter.
- Fill molds. Spoon or pour the batter into the molds, filling each to about three-quarters full. Depending on the size of your muffin tin, this should yield between 8 to 12 financiers.
- Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and immediately lower the temperature to 360°F (180°C). Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the centers are set. If you need another test for doneness, insert a toothpick into a financier; it should come out dry.
- Fill the pan to about three-quarters full
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes
- Cool. Allow the financiers to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing. To ease removal, gently run a silicone spatula around each cake, then invert the pan onto a wire rack to release the cakes.
Step 3: Whip Ganache and Frost Financiers
- Whip ganache. After those 6+ hours in the fridge, the ganache will look set and pretty stiff. That’s expected, so don’t panic. Grab a hand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the ganache on low to medium speed until the whisks leave a clearly visible trail and the ganache looks light and fluffy. That should take 2 to 3 minutes. Stop immediately if you notice the ganache starts looking grainy.
- Whip the chilled ganache on medium speed
- until it becomes light and fluffy
- Use. Pipe the financiers immediately after whipping the ganache. Optionally, sprinkle some chopped pistachios on the piped frosting.
- Serve or refrigerate. Refrigerating the financiers for 30 to 60 minutes before serving helps the frosting stiffen and maintain shape better.
Tips
- Chill the Frosting Before Piping. If your lemon frosting feels too soft after whipping, pop it in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before you start piping. This step will help it firm up again so it holds its shape better when piped.
- Love lemon recipes? Check out these lemon madeleines that come together in just 30 minutes.
Variations and Adjustments
These financiers, especially the frosting, lean towards the tangy side, which is perfect if you love tangy desserts. Feel free to halve the lemon juice in the frosting if you prefer something sweeter with just a hint of tang.
Next, the financiers are pretty moist, thanks to the extra lemon juice in the batter. If you like your muffins and cupcakes a bit drier (and not super moist), toss in an extra 0.5 to 1 oz of cake flour to get the texture just right.
Storage
You can keep unfrosted lemon financiers in a sealed container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. Once frosted, they’re best stored in the fridge, tightly sealed, for the same amount of time. Just make sure to enjoy them within four days of baking to get the best flavor and texture.
Other Recipes to Try
Looking for other financier flavors? Check out our pistachio financiers, raspberry financiers, matcha financiers, brown butter financiers, or chocolate financiers.
Servings: 9 lemon financiers
Ingredients
Lemon Financiers:
- 5 oz egg whites 141 g, about 5 egg whites
- 8 tbsp butter 113 g, plus a bit more for greasing the pan
- 3 oz sugar 85 g
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional
- 1 oz honey 28g or about 1 1/3 tbsp
- 3 oz almond flour 85g
- 2.5 oz cake flour 70g
- 1/2 tsp baking powder optional
- 1 lemon medium
Lemon Frosting:
- 1 cup heavy cream ~240 g
- 4 oz white chocolate ~114 g
- 1 lemon medium
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Lemon Whipped Ganache:
- Bloom Gelatin: Stir gelatin into water in a small bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes.1 teaspoon powdered gelatin, 1 tablespoon water
- Prep Lemon: Wash the lemon thoroughly, then zest and juice it.1 lemon
- Chop Chocolate: Chop white chocolate and place it in a large heatproof bowl.4 oz white chocolate
- Simmer Cream: Heat half the heavy cream with the lemon zest in a saucepan until it begins to simmer (look for small bubbles around the edges), then remove from heat.1 cup heavy cream
- (Optional) Steep: Let the pot steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then bring back to a simmer and take off the heat. Skip if in a hurry.
- Dissolve Gelatin: Add gelatin to the hot cream and whisk until fully dissolved.
- Combine: Pour the gelatin-cream mixture over the chocolate, let sit for a minute, then whisk until smooth.
- Blend: Use an immersion blender to mix thoroughly for 1-2 minutes, ensuring no lumps remain and everything is incorporated.
- Add Cream and Lemon Juice: Incorporate the remaining cream to cool the mixture, whisk, then pour in the lemon juice and blend everything for another minute.
- (Optional) Strain: Strain the ganache if you want to get rid of lemon zest. Skip if you don't mind it.
- Refrigerate: Cover the ganache with plastic wrap in direct contact and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Lemon Financiers:
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Brown Butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5-10 minutes. Cool it by placing in a bowl of cold water.8 tbsp butter
- Prep Lemon: Wash the lemon thoroughly, then zest and juice it.1 lemon
- Mix Egg Whites and Sugar: Whisk egg whites and sugar just until a bit of foam forms.5 oz egg whites, 3 oz sugar
- Add Honey and Vanilla: Stir in honey and vanilla.1 oz honey, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift almond flour, cake flour, and baking powder together and mix into the wet ingredients.3 oz almond flour, 2.5 oz cake flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Combine Butter: Add cooled brown butter, including the burned bits, ensuring it's not too hot.
- Add Lemon Juice and Zest: Incorporate the lemon juice and zest and stir everything.
- Prepare Pan: Grease the mold with butter, ensuring all surfaces are covered. Optionally, dust with flour or sugar if not using a non-stick pan.
- Fill Molds: Fill each mold about three-quarters full with batter. Optionally top each with chopped pistachios.
- Bake: Place in the oven, immediately reduce heat to 360°F (180°C), and bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges brown and the center sets.
- Cool: Let financiers cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove.
Combine:
- Whip: Whip the chilled ganache with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. The whisks should leave clearly visible trails. Stop immediately if you notice any graininess.
- Pipe: Pipe the financiers immediately after whipping the ganache.
- Serve or Refrigerate.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!