In Paris, and apparently in shops in London and LA as well now, you can enjoy the epitome of floral delicacies in the shape of small, perfect French macarons. Ladurée is my go-to source for these bite-sized almond-flour clouds, and the rose flavor is by far my favorite. Whoever thought of putting the intoxicating perfume of roses into baked goods was struck by genius – who would have thought that a flower could translate so well into an other-worldly flavor sensation in addition to being one of the better fragrances known to humankind. Thanks to that first person who decided rosewater or petals or syrup was destined for a cake or cookie or tea. Probably some brilliant baker in Persia. Well, whoever it was, your work has come a long way, all the way, in fact, to these delicate beauties that look remarkably like bars of gold (though significantly cheaper and much more pleasant to eat than the real thing). These are gluten free financiers – rose-flavored and scented of course, another French pastry that has blessed us with its simplicity, soft and delightful texture, and ease of transformation into a gluten free treat worthy of any tea tray or after-dinner dessert wine.
Gluten free financiers are small (surprisingly small) almond flour cakes, usually made with lots of egg whites which give the tiny treasures their fluff and slight chew. They’re a perfect accompaniment to a warm cup of tea with milk (not the French way but definitely my preferred method), or after dinner for light but highly satisfying sweet note. The shape of the traditional financier molds do look remarkably like whatever molds they (whoever they are) use to make bars of gold, and the warm, sunny color of the resulting cakes perpetuate the similarity. Most financiers I’ve seen to date are served top side up, though, which breaks with the visual resemblance to gold bars, so I opted to serve mine upside down once removed from the pan to really play up the likeness.
In addition to the alternate serving direction, I opted to weave in the aforementioned rose flavor, both in rose water included in the cakes themselves, but also in a quick, homemade rose syrup that is brushed over the cooled cakes to add a sweet, intensely floral glisten. If you’re looking for a treat that is sure to stand apart from other heavier, more likely flavors (chocolate and vanilla, for instance), these rose gold financiers are your ticket for compliments and delight. This recipe serves as a break from the normal October programming of pumpkin on pumpkin on pumpkin (not that I mind, pumpkin desserts are fantastic and the next post will undoubtedly be one…) and a lovely spring note to warm a crisp fall evening or weekend. If you’re a rose flavor fan, try this (slightly more time-consuming but gorgeously delicious) pistachio rose and raspberry cream Swiss roll, or even these pistachio snow cookies with rose! As always, do what tastes good!
Gluten Free Rose Gold Financiers
Equipment
- Financier pan
Ingredients
For the rose syrup:
- 1 Cup white sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 Cup rose water
For the financiers:
- 1 Cup almond meal or flour
- 2 Tbsp gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp rose water
- 3/4 Cup white sugar
- 1/3 Cup melted, cooled salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Generously butter a financier pan (I use an 8-financier pan) and set aside. First, make the rose syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the rose water, sugar, and pinch of salt and heat on medium until boiling, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Once sugar is dissolved, continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The syrup will be slightly thicker but still runny. Take off the heat and let cool.
- Make your financiers. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, salt, flour, and arrowroot starch. In a larger bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium until foamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the sugar and rose water and continue to beat until thick and marshmallowy. Fold in the dry ingredients, and then pour in the melted, cooled butter and fold in as well.
- Either spoon your batter into the molds or use a pastry bag to pipe in the batter – be sure to only almost-fill each mold, up to about 1/8 inch below the rim. Rap the pan on a counter to even the tops of the financiers, then bake for 11-13 minutes until brown around the edges but not too dark. Let cool before tipping financiers out of the molds.
- For presentation, turn financiers upside down so that they look like gold bars and spoon about 1/2 tsp of the rose syrup onto each financier and use a spoon to spread syrup evenly. You can add crushed rose petals for an extra touch, or serve as they are with syrup!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your financiers!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
3 Comments
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Leslie
Rose water in anything is a plus in my book! These rose-infused financiers were just as elegant as they were scrumptious. I definitely recommend dousing them with a bit of rose syrup at the end – it’s worth it!
Tristan
These taste as delicious as they look!