Cake for the Kids: Blueberry Fruit Financier

Last summer my friend Dorothy brought her niece and nephew by my house when they were in town visiting from London, and we all enjoyed some cake with the kids. So when Dorothy's brother and his family came back to town a few weeks ago, we planned another baked goods stop at my house for everyone. Dorothy's older son Alexander still refuses to eat chocolate, so I thought that a fruity dessert was in order.

I decided to make Nick Malgieri's Fruit Financier recipe from Perfect Cakes. It's written to yield nine individual 3.75-inch financiers, but I didn't want to deal with buttering and flouring so many tart pans. Instead, I opted to make the recipe in a single 11-inch tart pan (which in fact has the same volume as nine 3.75-inch pans).

The recipe is quick. You mix ground almonds, flour, sugar, and lemon zest; add softened butter; and add rum, vanilla, and egg whites. You pour the batter into the pan(s), sprinkle on berries and sliced almonds, and bake.

The financier was easy to unmold, slice, and serve. The cake was very moist, and everyone loved it, including all four kids. I have to say that while I thought the financier was tasty, to me the texture and the flavor was reminiscent of a blueberry muffin with almonds -- which is to say that it wasn't anything particularly special. But it was such a bit hit with the kids, and there was not a crumb left by the time Dorothy left -- so I was very happy with the way that it came out.

Recipe: "Fruit Financiers" from Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri, recipe available here.