Fig, Brown Butter & Lemon Financier Cake

Fig season is my absolute favourite season for fruit and veg. They’re beautiful, soft, sweet, delicate and the perfect hues of purple and pink. I really think they’re a thing of beauty. Unfortunately for me, fig season is extremely short. So I try to eat them as much as possible while they’re around.

Here’s a beautifully simple financier sponge cake, packed full of flavours of nutty brown butter and lemon. I’ve topped the sponge with some fig slices as well as arranged them on top to really showcase their pretty interior. Brush them with some warmed honey to keep them moist and enhance that lovely sweetness.

I’ve included a recipe for a simple lemon verbena cream which is a great addition to pair with a slice alongside a hot cuppa.

Ingredients - Makes 1 x 6inch cake

Financier Sponge:
150g ground almonds
210g caster sugar
60g plain flour
pinch of salt
zest of 1 lemon
5 medium egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
120g unsalted butter, (90g browned butter)
4-5 fresh figs, sliced
honey, to brush

Lemon Verbena Honey Cream:
300ml double cream
a handful of lemon verbena leaves
1 tbsp honey

Method
For the Lemon Verbena Cream (the day before):
Place the cream and verbena leaves into a saucepan over low heat. Once it just starts to simmer, remove from the heat and place into a container. Cover with clingfilm, making sure it is touching the surface to prevent it forming a skin, and refrigerate overnight.

For the financier sponge:
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 6inch tin with butter and baking parchment.

Place the butter into a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk the butter every minute or so until it becomes nutty and brown. Once a foam begins to form, remove it from the stove and pour into a bowl. You’ll need 90g of browned butter. Weigh the amount you have and if it is shy, just add in little more butter until you have 90g. Leave to one side to cool slightly.

Mix together the almonds, sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest in a bowl. Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla until just combined. Gradually pour in the cooled brown butter and gently whisk until combined. Pour the batter into your prepared tin and place some of the sliced figs on top, keeping most for garnish later.

Bake for approx. 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with some moist crumbs. Leave to cool before removing from the tin.

To finish:
Arrange the remaining figs on top of the cake and brush with slightly warmed honey. Strain the lemon verbena cream and whisk until it reaches soft peaks. Serve your slice of fig financier with a dollop of soft cream and a hot drink.