Blueberry and lemon friands

blueberry and lemon friands

I bet I’m not the only one that when faced with leftover egg whites puts them in the fridge in the vain hope of using them for something else in the near future, only to admit defeat and throw them away a week later , still unloved and unused. I have done it so many times it’s embarrassing to mention! I might as well throw them directly in the bin rather than having this ridiculous pointless charade to go through purely to spare me from guilt feelings (I hate throwing food away!). I have made meringues in the past, of course, but my repertoire in the egg whites department is pretty limited (I have been meaning for ages to make macaroons, for example, but haven’t had the courage yet). So when I chanced on this recipe from the BBC Good food website which actually requires egg whites, I made a note of it and promised to myself I would try it out next time I was left with the blasted things. As you will recall, this was the case after my disastrous attempt at making custard tarts (I was left with SEVEN egg whites!! Eeek!) . Well….unlike my somewhat disappointing tarts these dainty little cakes were fabulous! And really simple to make. There is quite a considerable amount of butter in them and I might attempt reducing it next time but trust me when I say they were out of this world taste wise: light as a fairy and incredibly moist. I would definitely recommend these friands to anyone stuck with egg whites. I have already made two batches : one with blueberries and one with blackberries. Both delicious. I reckon you could put any berries you fancy on the top, to be honest.

INGREDIENTS (makes approx. 8-9. The recipe says 6 but I thought the mixture went much further! I made 9 in fact )

  • 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 125g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 25g plain flour
  • 85g ground almonds
  • 3 medium egg whites
  • 1 unwaxed lemon, grated rind only
  • 85g blueberries

METHOD

  • Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Generously butter a muffin tin . Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
  • Sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl. Add the almonds and mix everything.
  • Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until they form a light, floppy foam. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, tip in the egg whites and lemon rind, then lightly stir in the butter to form a soft batter.
  • Divide the batter among the tins, a large serving spoon is perfect for this job. Don’t fill each case too full as they will rise while cooking and you don’t want them to overflow or they will lose their shape. Sprinkle a handful of blueberries over each cake and bake for 15-20 minutes until just firm to the touch and golden brown.
  • Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. To serve, dust lightly with icing sugar.

 

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5 Responses to “Blueberry and lemon friands”


  • Oh capita anche a me lasciare in giro gli albumi e poi buttarli scornata. Se non li ho rovesciati prima nel frigo!
    Questi dolcetti li farei subito, ma ho solo 2 uova. E’ un tempo di magra, ahimé.
    Un’informazione: vanno mangiati subito o durano qualche giorno (ipotesi poco plausibile se c’è gente a casa)

  • Un’altra domanda..ma non serve lievito i me lo,sono perso io?
    Non vedo l’ora di farli!

  • Un’altra domanda..ma non serve lievito o me lo sono perso io?
    Non vedo l’ora di farli!

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