Financier-Style Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes
Financiers have been hit-or-miss for me, so I was a little wary of these financier-styled pound cakes. I think I have pan anxiety. I didn't buy a financier pan, and unlike other cakes in this book, I wonder if the pan really does make a difference in the final product. Cakes can be turned into cupcakes, individual cakes can be made into one large cake, but financiers? They seem like they are best when the ratio of outside to inside stays fairly even. Regular sized cupcakes are too big, so it seems making these mini is a good idea. Or use a freaking financier pan. I shoulda bought the damn pan.
December 11, 2010
Name of cakes: damn pan
Occasion: HCB
Constituents: egg yolk-less pound cakes
Okay I'm just going to come right out and say it: I miss the egg yolks.
I made these as cupcakes--six in my silicone cupcake cups which hold about an ounce less than a regular cupcake cup--and they look lovely. They domed nicely, with a light golden color. The crumb is delicate, light, and dense with the delicious floral flavor of butter and the smoothness of vanilla. However, for all the loveliness, there is a richness missing, and it is because they are 100% egg yolk free. So sad.
I guess it is a cross between a pound cake and a white cake, but since my tastes run towards rich, dense, sour cream and egg yolk cakes, moving a pound cake in the direction of a white cake is the wrong direction for me.
At least they were a snap to make. I don't feel so regretful about them since it didn't take $30 worth of materials or a full day of work to make these little light pound cupcakes. When I get over the lack of egg yolk, they really are quite lovely. Almost tea cake-like in their dense crumb, and with wonderful flavor.
However I wonder how these would have been as proper financiers.
I was wondering about the lack of yolks myself, because I also like a rich sour cream cake. But I adored the delicate tenderness of these financiers. Buy the damn pan.
ReplyDeleteI was stumped on the yolks as well... and since they are in the oven cooking as I write this, I'm going to have to wait to determine the final outcome with the taste test.. but like you, I love the rich, dense cakes.. sooo I see the future and I'm not liking it.....
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping there's a proper dense pound cake in your near future.
ReplyDeleteI should get the damn pan too .. yours look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteDamn pan.
ReplyDeleteMarie, I know! The pan!
ReplyDeleteMonica, I'm curious to read your post; at least your photos will be gorgeous!
Thanks Lois! Me too.
gartblue, yeah but yours looked so good even without the pan.
Vicki, exactly.
Great photos! Get yourself a financier pan.... lots of uses for one.
ReplyDelete:)
ButterYum
When you say Financiers - the only ones I know are the litle french cakes that seem to always have a large amount of nut flour. Or do I have a limited definition? I have a silicone mini muffin tin I use and only fill them 1/2 way and they are still hit and miss for me. But yours look lovely!
ReplyDeleteECL, I'm not sure in this case if the pan yield a different result. Just buy the pan already and do a test - make a recipe and split the batter between 2 pans. Then post, it will be fun (for sure fun for us). You can even title it Pan throwdown - cupcake vs. financier. How's that?
ReplyDeleteButteryum, I don't like individual servings so I don't forsee myself making anything in the damn pan save these financiers. Hence my whining.
ReplyDeleteAllison, no, you're definition is spot-on. These are financier-style, as in made with egg whites and heavy on the butter. No nut flour or beurre noisette to make them actual financiers.
Jenn, I love the idea of a pan throwdown! However I know the cupcakes are out. The mini cupcakes I made for the golden financiers were great--and a pain in the ass to make. So the throwdown would be between mini cupcakes--pain in the ass--or financier pan--probably throwing away money on a single use pan. Gah.
Just a quick follow-up to your comments on Marie's blog about the silicone financier pan. Marie has the blue Lekue pan and I have to rust lekue pan. The blue one is a bit thinner, and slightly transparent, while the rust one is thicker (I think it's the commercial grade). My financiers turned out darker than Marie's.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I like these little pound cakes in the round shape best. The hump looks weird on the rectangular financier shape.