Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 380.3kcal
Ingredients
Financier Cake Base
- 5 egg whites ~140g
- 8 tbsp butter 113g, plus more for greasing
- 7 tbsp sugar 87.5g
- 1⅓ tbsp honey 28g
- ½ tsp vanilla extract optional
- ¾ cup almond flour 72g
- 9 tbsp cake flour 56g
- ½ tsp baking powder optional
- powdered sugar for dusting the pan
Strawberry Compote
- 1½ cups strawberries 300g, hulled and chopped
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar 18g, or more to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or more to taste
- 2 tbsp cornstarch 15g
- 1 tbsp water mix with cornstarch before adding
White Chocolate Mascarpone Cream — Ganache
- 4.5 oz white chocolate 126g, finely chopped
- 2½ tbsp heavy cream 40g
White Chocolate Mascarpone Cream — Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- ⅔ cup mascarpone cheese 160g
- ⅔ cup heavy cream 160g
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract optional
Strawberry Ganache Topping
- 40 g strawberries
- 80 g white chocolate finely chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt pinch
To Finish
- fresh strawberries halved and quartered, for decoration
Instructions
Financier Cake Base
- Preheat. Set the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty — about 5–10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool quickly by placing the bowl in cold water.8 tbsp butter
- Mix egg whites and sugar. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together just until a little foam forms on the surface. You're not whipping them — just combining.5 egg whites, 7 tbsp sugar
- Add honey and vanilla. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract until incorporated.1⅓ tbsp honey, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients. Sift the almond flour, cake flour, and baking powder together, then mix into the wet ingredients until smooth.¾ cup almond flour, 9 tbsp cake flour, ½ tsp baking powder
- Add the brown butter. Pour in the cooled brown butter including the browned bits at the bottom — they carry a lot of flavor. Make sure the butter isn't too hot before adding or it may cook the egg whites.
- Prepare the pan. Line the bottom of the 8-inch springform pan with parchment. Grease the sides with butter and dust with powdered sugar for easy release.powdered sugar
- Fill and bake. Pour the batter in — it will be fairly fluid. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 360°F (180°C). Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set.
- Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10–15 minutes before removing, then cool fully on a rack — about 1 hour. Once completely cool, use a long serrated knife to cut it in half horizontally into two even layers.
Strawberry Compote
- Prep strawberries. Wash, hull, and chop the strawberries into bite-size pieces.1½ cups strawberries
- Cook. Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries and stir. Cook over medium heat until bubbling, then simmer for 5–10 minutes until the strawberries soften and break down.1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
- Thicken. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir half the slurry into the pot and cook for 1–2 minutes until thickened. Add more slurry if needed — the compote should be quite thick.2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water
- Adjust flavor. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and add more sugar or lemon juice until it's just right.1 tbsp lemon juice
White Chocolate Mascarpone Cream
- Make the ganache. Heat the heavy cream until just below boiling, with small bubbles at the edges. Pour it over the finely chopped white chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes. Stir from the center outward until smooth and emulsified. Let the ganache cool to below 40°C / 105°F before using — it should be warm but not hot.4.5 oz white chocolate, 2½ tbsp heavy cream
- Whip the cream. In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream on medium speed until it doubles in volume and leaves faint trails that just disappear — stop before soft peaks.⅔ cup heavy cream
- Add mascarpone. Add the mascarpone and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth and lump-free, then increase to medium and whip until trails remain visible in the cream.⅔ cup mascarpone cheese, ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- Add ganache. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the cooled ganache, keeping it away from the beaters. Scrape the bowl and mix until fully combined. The cream should be soft and spreadable.
Assembly
- Prep the pan. Lightly butter the inside walls of the springform pan, then line the sides with a strip of parchment paper up to the rim. This makes releasing the finished cake clean and easy.
- First layer. Place the bottom half of the financier cake base in the pan, cut side up.
- Compote layer. Spread the strawberry compote over the cake base while it's still hot or warm — it spreads much more easily this way. Leave about 1–2 cm of space around the outer edge so the mascarpone cream can seal it in from the sides.
- Mascarpone cream. Spoon the white chocolate mascarpone cream over the compote and spread it out to the edges, filling in the gap around the compote so no holes remain.
- Second layer. Place the second half of the cake base cut side up on top of the cream, so the domed bottom faces down into the filling. Press gently but firmly — the dome pushes into the cream and fills any gaps, while the flat cut surface gives you a level top.
- Chill. Refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours, until the filling is fully set.
- Make the strawberry ganache. Blend the strawberries until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds. Warm the puree in a small saucepan until just boiling, then pour over the finely chopped white chocolate. Let sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, then stir from the center outward until smooth and glossy. For extra smoothness, blend briefly with an immersion blender. Stir in the butter and a pinch of salt while the ganache is still warm. Let cool until pourable but spreadable.40 g strawberries, 80 g white chocolate, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, salt
- Glaze. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment. Pour and spread the ganache over the top of the cake, letting it just reach the edges.
- Decorate. Arrange fresh strawberry halves and quarters over the top.fresh strawberries
Notes
- This recipe is made in an 8-inch (20 cm) round springform pan — the same pan used to bake the financier base.
- Vanilla extract, baking powder, butter for greasing, and powdered sugar for dusting are excluded from the macro calculation. Treat macros as estimates.
Nutrition
Calories: 380.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.8g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 27.5g | Fiber: 1g
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