Lemon Curd Friands
Australia has a fabulous food culture. I lived in Sydney for 5 years before I came to the UK and would go out to dinner roughly 2-3 times a week during that time. Whenever I visit friends and family in Sydney now I try to take advantage of the amazing array of restaurants that are all over the city. I read Sydney based food blogs and try to keep up to date with what new restaurants are opening up, but it's hard to stay on top of this, when you are on the other side of the world. I've realised it is much easier to buy Australian cookbooks and make the recipes yourself, so after years of ordering yummy friands with my coffee in Australia I decided I would make them myself. The Australian Women's Weekly Easy Baking cookbook that I bought on my last visit contained 2 friand recipes and after getting my hands on a friand mould in only the last few weeks, I am happy to report I have made 2 batches of these gorgeous Lemon Curd Friands and they are not only easy to make, but are lighter than regular sponge cakes and incredibly moreish. Friands are basically French financiers, made using egg whites and ground almonds, but the shape is slightly different. The lemon curd in these is sharp and adds a bit of zest to the gentle almond flavour.
Coffee & friands - a perfect match
Up close and personal with a Lemon Curd Friand
Lovely and chunky!
Aerial view of those Lemon Curd Friands
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- 185g melted butter
- 120g almond meal
- 240g icing sugar
- 75g plain flour
- 80g lemon curd
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven). Grease a 125ml oval friand pan.
- Place egg whites in medium bowl; whisk lightly with fork until combined. Stir in melted butter, ground almonds, sifted icing sugar and flour until just combined.
- Divide mixture among pan holes and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove friands from the oven and top each with a level teaspoon of curd. Bake for a further 10 minutes.
- Stand friands for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.
Bilby Boost
- The Women's Weekly recipe states that you should use a 12-hole/125ml oval friand pan, however I use a 8 hole silicone friand mould and it has been fine. It makes slightly larger friands, but they still taste terrific.
- Of course you could try these with orange or lime curd for something a little different.
Taken from the Australian Women's Weekly Easy Baking cookbook, featuring photographs by Ben Dearnley. The photographs here on the blog are my own.