Niketa Tripp

For the chocolate chantilly

90g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
200g heavy/double cream
10g honey

For the financier

75g whole hazelnuts, skin on, plus more to decorate
145g unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
155g egg whites
3g orange zest
1⁄2 fresh vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
155g powdered/icing sugar
75g self-rising/raising flour, plus more

Hand blender
Blender
1 lb (450g) loaf pan
Baking tray/sheet
2 piping bags, plus 1 large grass tip nozzle

1. To make the dark chocolate chantilly, add the chocolate to a tall measuring jug.

2. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, combine the cream and
honey. Stir occasionally until hot but not boiling, then immediately remove the
saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate.

3. Allow the cream to sit for 2 minutes before using a hand blender to blend until
smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C. Grease a 1lb (450g) loaf pan with butter. Sprinkle
flour in the pan and shake the pan to coat with flour. Tap the pan to remove any
excess flour.

5. To make the financier, spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the
oven and roast the hazelnuts for 8 to 12 minutes or until the skins start to burst.

6. Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool slightly, before peeling off the skins
(save these for decoration). Don’t worry if there are still a few skins remaining as this
will give the cake batter a nice color. Place the skinned hazelnuts back into the oven
for 5 minutes, or until they are a golden colour.

7. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the hazelnuts to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Add them to a blender and blend them into a fine powder. Set aside.

8. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the
butter has melted, it will begin to roar quite violently, then big bubbles will form in the
pan. After this, the bubbles will become much smaller and the pan will go very quiet.
At this point, you’re looking for a caramelized, nutty aroma coming from the pan. This
should take around 3 to 4 minutes.

9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and measure out 115 grams. Allow the butter to
cool for 5 minutes.

10. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites for 30 seconds or until they become
frothy.

11. Add the ground hazelnuts, orange zest, and vanilla. Sift the powdered/icing sugar
into the bowl. Whisk briefly until everything has been combined.

12. Sift the self-rising flour into the bowl. Briefly mix again to ensure the dry ingredients
have been incorporated.

13. Whisk in the cooled brown butter. It might not incorporate right away, so keep
whisking until it does. Pour the cake batter into the greased pan.

14. Add some softened butter to a piping bag. Cut a very small hole at the end of the bag
and pipe a thin line of butter down the center of the batter.

15. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 60 minutes. It should have a nice golden color
on top and a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.

16. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the cake to cool for 1 to 2 hours.

17. Remove the dark chocolate chantilly from the fridge and very briefly stir by hand just
until it is smooth. Be careful not to over-work it. Add the chantilly to a piping bag
fitted with a large grass tip nozzle.

18. Pipe long lines of the chantilly across the top of the cake, overlapping them slightly.

19. Finish by decorating the cake with some slightly roasted hazelnut halves, and
hazelnut skins.

140g unsalted butter
185g egg whites
90g ground almonds
185g powdered/icing sugar
90g self-rising/self-raising flour
2g lemon zest
1⁄2 fresh vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
125g blueberries
lightly toasted flaked almonds, for topping

Oval silicone/metal mold pan

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C.

2. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, melt the butter. Remove the
saucepan from the heat and allow the butter to cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites for 30 seconds or until frothy.

4. Add the ground almonds, powdered/icing sugar and lemon zest. Cut the vanilla bean
lengthways and using the knife to scrape out half of the beans, add these into the
bowl. Whisk until combined.

5. Place a sieve over the medium bowl and sift in the flour. Whisk until the flour has just
been absorbed, about 30 seconds.

6. Add the melted butter and whisk until there are no more streaks of butter.

7. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

8. Pour the batter into the cups of an oval silicone/metal mold pan (or the cups of a
cupcake pan/tin) and fill the cups about three-fourths full. Sprinkle a few flaked
almonds over the top of each cup.

9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 or 30 minutes or until the financiers have a
nice golden colour.

10. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the financiers to cool for 5 minutes before
removing them from the pan. Serve while still warm or allow them to cool completely
and then serve later.