The Financier: A Small French Cake We Love
The financier is one of those French bakes that does not ask for much attention and rewards you enormously anyway. Small, golden, slightly crisp at the edges and deeply moist in the middle. A faint nuttiness that you cannot quite place until someone tells you it is brown butter. At Krumb we have become quite fond of the financier, and we think Belfast should be too.
What Is a Financier?
A financier is a small French cake made with brown butter, ground almonds, icing sugar, and egg whites. It is baked in a little rectangular or oval mould (though we will not hold any shape against you) and has a beautifully tender, slightly dense crumb that is nothing like a standard sponge.
The key is the brown butter. You cook the butter until the milk solids turn golden and nutty, with a warm, almost toffee-like smell that is one of the great smells in baking. That flavour carries all the way through the finished cake. Combined with the almond flour and the lightness that whipped egg whites give you, you get something that is rich but not heavy, sweet but not cloying, and unmistakably delicious.
Finished properly, a financier has a slightly golden edge and a surface that gives a little when you press it. Ours come with a generous topping of vanilla mascarpone, smooth and lightly sweet, which lifts the whole thing into something you would be happy to sit down with.
Our Financier Flavours
We rotate our financier flavours because that is half the fun. The base is always that brown butter and almond sponge, but what goes on top changes with what is good and what we feel like making.
At the moment you might find us making a blackcurrant and pistachio financier: the tartness of the blackcurrant against the nuttiness of chopped pistachios and that brown butter base is a combination that genuinely works. Bright, earthy, and a bit special. Or there might be a cherry version on the counter, with the fruit adding a juicy burst against the richness of the cake.
These are the kinds of rotating flavours that make coming in on a Wednesday feel different to coming in on a Saturday. The base stays the same. The character changes. We like keeping you curious.
Why We Love Making Them
The financier is a good reminder that the best French bakes belfast can enjoy do not need to be complicated. The ingredients are simple. The method is not difficult. What makes the difference is care and quality: properly browned butter, good ground almonds, the right ratio of egg white to hold everything together without drying it out.
We make our financiers in small batches every day, and we put the same attention into them as we put into every laminated croissant and every sourdough loaf. That is just how we work. No item on the counter gets less than our full effort, whether it is a small French cake or a whole wedding tier.
Every last krumb of what we bake is made from scratch. That matters to us, and we think you can taste it.
What to Have Them With
A financier is a natural companion to coffee. The brown butter and almond notes go beautifully with the roasty depth of a well-made espresso, and we pour Lucid Coffee Roasters beans at Krumb so the coffee is always worth having alongside something sweet.
They are also lovely with a pot of Good and Proper tea if you are in that kind of mood. Whichever you choose, take a seat and slow down for a moment. A small French cake on a quiet morning is a little bakery magic, and you deserve it.
Financiers also travel well, which makes them a good option if you are clicking and collecting a box for someone who deserves a treat.
Questions We Get Asked
What does a financier taste like?
Rich, nutty, and buttery, with a moist and slightly dense crumb. The brown butter gives a toffee-like warmth, the almond flour gives depth, and the egg whites keep it from being too heavy. Ours come topped with vanilla mascarpone and whatever seasonal flavour we are running.
Do your financier flavours change?
Yes. We rotate toppings and flavour combinations depending on the season and what looks good. Recent favourites have included blackcurrant and pistachio, and cherry. Check our socials or come in to see what is on today.
Can I buy financiers to take away?
Absolutely. They travel well and make a lovely gift. Order on click and collect to guarantee yours, or come in and pick up however many you can justify.
Order online: browse our sweet bakes on click and collect.
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Come and see us at 258 Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2FZ, open Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Order on click and collect and we will have your financiers ready. A small French cake made with proper care, right here on the Ormeau Road. Treat yourself.