Blueberry & Lemon Friands

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to fan 180°C / conventional 200°C / gas 6. Generously butter six friand or muffin tins. Melt the butter gently and set it aside to cool until just warm. If it’s hot, you’ll scramble the egg whites later and ruin the texture.

Step 2
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl, then add the ground almonds. Mix everything together using your fingers, breaking up any almond clumps. If you skip this, you’ll end up with uneven, dense patches in the baked cakes.

Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites just until foamy and loose. You are not making meringue. If they hold stiff peaks, you’ve gone too far and the friands will be dry. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the egg whites and lemon zest, then gently stir. Slowly drizzle in the cooled butter, folding until you get a smooth, soft batter.

Step 4
Divide the batter evenly between the tins using a large spoon. Sprinkle the blueberries over the top rather than mixing them in. This stops them from bleeding into the batter and turning everything grey. Bake for 15–20 minutes until lightly golden and just firm when pressed. If the centre feels wet, give it another 2 minutes, not more.

Step 5
Let the friands cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. If you try to remove them immediately, they’ll tear. Once cool, dust lightly with icing sugar if serving straight away.

Important Note
One thing worth calling out: the original ingredient list often confuses blueberries with blackberries. Don’t casually swap them. Blackberries are wetter and heavier and will sink unless chopped and lightly floured. Blueberries behave better and bake more evenly here.