Soft, buttery friands made from butter, caster sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds, flour, white chocolate and frozen raspberries. A lovely, pick-me-up sweet treat.
These Raspberry Friands are a soft, buttery treat with a delicate almond flavour and a light, fluffy texture. Perfect for morning tea, a lunchbox snack, or to serve with coffee when friends pop over. They're simple to make but feel a little bit fancy, and are easily converted to a completely gluten free bake. If you love the combination of ground almond and fruit baking, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Upside Down Plum Cake.
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Ingredient notes:
- Raspberries: The juicy berries add bursts of tartness that balance the sweetness of the white chocolate and almond. Frozen raspberries don't need to be thawed before baking, they work beautifully straight from the freezer. Fresh raspberries work just as well too. Just be gentle when folding or pressing them into the batter to avoid squashing.
- Ground almonds: These give friands their signature moist texture and rich, nutty flavour. They also help keep the crumb light and slightly chewy.
- Eggs: Whipping the egg whites separately is what gives these friands their lovely rise and airy finish.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake. Grease a friand tin with melted butter and dust with flour, shake out any excess. Separate the eggs, being careful not to get any yolk in the whites
Using a mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and mix to combine, then add the ground almonds and mix again. Sift in the flour and mix until just combined.
Fold in half of the whipped egg whites until fully incorporated, then gently fold in the second half, being careful to keep the mixture light and airy.
Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds. Scatter the white chocolate buttons and raspberries on top. You can press them in slightly, but avoid the edges as this can make them stick to the tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Recipe FAQs:
A hand or stand mixer is recommended, especially for whipping the egg whites to soft peaks and creaming the butter and sugar. It helps achieve the light, fluffy texture of the batter.
Yes, you can swap the plain flour for gluten-free flour. Just be aware they may stick more easily to the tin, so grease thoroughly and consider using patty cases with a muffin tin.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They'll keep longer in the fridge but are best brought to room temperature or slightly warmed before serving. These also freeze well for up to 3 months - just defrost and warm slightly before enjoying.
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Raspberry Friands
Soft buttery, friands made from butter, caster sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds, flour, white chocolate and frozen raspberries.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 150g butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 100g plain flour
- 140g ground almonds
- ⅓ cup white chocolate buttons
- ⅔ cup frozen or fresh raspberries
- Extra butter and flour for greasing the tins
To serve
- Dusting of icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake. Grease a friand tin with melted butter and dust with flour, shake out any excess. (If you don’t have a friand tin, you can use a muffin tin.)
- Separate the eggs, being careful not to get any yolk in the whites. Using a mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and mix to combine, then add the ground almonds and mix again. Sift in the flour and mix until just combined.
- Fold in half of the whipped egg whites until fully incorporated, then gently fold in the second half, being careful to keep the mixture light and airy.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds. Scatter the white chocolate buttons and raspberries on top. You can press them in slightly, but avoid the edges as this can make them stick to the tin.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have a friand tin, muffin tins work well too. Greasing the tin with butter and dusting with flour is key to getting a clean release, but patty cases are a great no-fuss option if using a muffin tin. White chocolate and raspberries can act like glue if they touch the sides of the tin, just try to keep them toward the top and centre of the batter. As they will sink a bit as the Friands bake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 389Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 180mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 6g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Kelsey Lane says
These are delicious. I’ve always wanted to try making friands but they seemed too difficult. This recipe was simple and all my boys (big and small) loved them. Thank you!
VJ cooks says
I'm so happy to hear that. Thanks again for your feedback, Kelsey. Happy baking 🙂
Vicki says
Love this recipe. Great that it uses the whole egg ( not left with whites or yolks)!!! I mix it up each time I make using raspberries; or blueberries; or strawberries. Chopped up white chocolate on top goes well with these combinations. They keep well in storage for a good 3 days(if they last that long) Thankyou!! Love making friands now. Enjoyed by everyone I share them with. xx
VJ cooks says
That's awesome, so pleased to hear you enjoy this recipe. Yes, they are so versatile!