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Hazelnut buckwheat pear financiers - made with browned butter and toasted hazelnut meal, topped with juicy pears, and crunchy caramelized hazelnuts, these mini gluten free cakes are moist and buttery, with an irresistible nutty flavor. | www.viktoriastable.com

Hazelnut buckwheat pear financiers

Hazelnut buckwheat pear financiers - made with browned butter and toasted hazelnut meal, topped with juicy pears, and crunchy caramelized hazelnuts, these mini gluten free cakes are moist and buttery, with an irresistible nutty flavor.
Course Dessert / Breakfast
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 275 kcal
Author Adapted from Alternative Baker, by Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbs, plus 1-2 tsp for greasing the muffin pans)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean pod
  • 3/4 cup (75 g) hazelnut flour/meal *
  • 1/3 cup (40 g) buckwheat flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
  • 6 Tbs sugar
  • 4 large egg whites (120 ml)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 ripe pears

For the caramelized hazelnut topping:

  • 1/2 cup toasted, whole hazelnuts
  • 2-3 Tbs sugar
  • 1 Tbs butter
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the scraped vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla pod, and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until it starts to foam, and browns a bit. Remove the vanilla pod, and pour into a separate cup to cool off.
  3. Sift the flours, cornstarch, salt and sugar.
  4. Whisk in the egg whites, and stir vigorously.
  5. Add the melted butter, and whisk until a sticky dough forms.
  6. Liberally grease a muffin pan with softened butter (the consistency of mayonnaise), or use muffin liners.
  7. Distribute the dough evenly, filling each muffin cup halfway.
  8. Peel and core the pears. Cut them in half lengthwise, then again crosswise, and slice them thinly.
  9. Arrange a few pear slices on top of each cake.
  10. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  11. While the cakes are baking, prepare the quick caramelized hazelnut topping: place the sugar in a dry pan, over high heat until it begins to caramelize. Add the butter, the pinch of salt, and the hazelnuts, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and spread over parchment paper. Let cool completely, and break into pieces.
  12. Once the cakes are out of the oven, top each with the caramelized hazelnuts.

Recipe Notes

* To make the hazelnut meal, lightly toast about 1 cup of hazelnuts in a 250° F oven, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Process the nuts in a food processor for about a minute, or until they are finely ground. Be careful not to process too much, as they will turn into a butter.
** Makes 10 cakes