Friands are the middle ground between a fairy cake and muffin. They are popular in Australia and New Zealand but originate from France. These cakes are super light and can come with a variety of flavours and toppings. Here is my tropical twist on them made with raspberry and mango sprinkled with coconut flakes. Ideal for a mid morning snack with a cup of tea or a just sweet treat when you need a pick me up.
A lovely cake. Crisp and chewy on the outside but light and soft on the inside. I tweaked this recipe from BBC Good Food and it turned out really well. If you want plain friands and larger quantity give this recipe from Waitrose a go.
These are sweet little cakes to make over the weekend, for yourself or even as a gift in a nice box. Remember to butter your tin generously otherwise these beauties won’t come out. Enjoy!
Serves 6
Prep 15 mins
Cook 30 mins
Total 45 mins
Ingredients
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
100g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
25g plain flour
85g ground almonds
3 medium egg whites
35g mango, chopped
40g rasperries
1-2 tbsp coconut flakes
Method
- First grease a friand or muffin tin with a generous amount of butter. Melt the butter and leave aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6 / 180C (fan). In a large bowl sift icing sugar and flour. Add the ground almonds and mix together.
- Whisk the egg whites until foamy and light in a separate bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients along with the mango (pat the mango with some kitchen towel). Stir in the melted butter slowly and mix together well.
- Spoon the mixture into the friand tin holes and top each one with a couple of raspberries, then sprinkle over coconut flakes.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden and firm (check by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean it’s ready). If they start to brown too quickly cover them with some foil.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Use a sharp knife loosen the friands from the tin. Dust with a little icing sugar once cooled. Store in an airtight container and eat within a couple of days.
