Black Forest friands are little almond cakes with cherry and chocolate, a bite-sized treat perfect for snacking or enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee.
Recipe inspiration
When I saw on Twitter that Sugar and Crumbs were looking for baking bloggers to try out their new flavours in their range of naturally flavoured icing sugars, I knew this was for me!
I was lucky enough to receive two packs to try out and the first one was Black Forest.
As soon as you open the pack the evocative flavour of Black Forest hits you, as if there is a Black Forest gateau nestling in the corner of your kitchen (wouldn’t that be a great find).
The pack is resealable which is a great idea, as anyone who has ever got covered in clouds of plain icing sugar when opening a cupboard will know.
This flavour of the icing sugar contains cocoa powder so you end up with a chocolatey-coloured cake without adding anything more to it.
I thought the flavour would be good baked into a cake, as well as for flavouring traditional buttercream icing.
My first thoughts was for Black Forest friands as these little light oval cakes are made with whipped egg whites and icing sugar to make them as light as air.
A cheeky drizzle of dark chocolate over the top and you end up with these dainty cakes which would be at home in the best afternoon tea, enjoyed alongside your cup of tea or even just popped into your kids’ lunchboxes for a little treat.
So delicious!
The delicate flavour of Black Forest really comes through as you bite into the friand, and combined with the cherries and drizzle of chocolate it is really delicious.
Ingredients
Here’s what you will need for this recipe. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- butter
- egg whites
- icing sugar – Black Forest flavour.
- plain flour
- ground almonds
- fresh cherries
- dark chocolate
Method
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this cherry friands recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step 1. Melt the butter in the microwave and leave to cool for about five minutes.
Step 2. Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until the soft peak stage. This will take about one to two minutes.
Step 3. In a different bowl mix together the Black Forest icing sugar, flour and ground almonds.
Step 4. Then add the melted butter. The mixture will look quite thick and lumpy as shown, but it will be fine once the egg whites are added in the next stage.
Step 5. Fold the egg whites into the bowl with the icing sugar and ground almond mixture.
Step 6. Spoon the mixture into a friand tray and top each one with a couple of chopped cherries.
Step 7. Bake at 180℃ / 350℉ for about twenty minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean. (I put the silicone tray on top of a baking sheet to make it easier to carry.)
Step 8. Cool in the tray for a couple of minutes then press the friands out of the tray and leave them to cool on a rack.
Step 9. Once cool, melt a little dark chocolate in the microwave and use a piping bag to drizzle it over the friands. Enjoy!
More to try
Recipe
Black Forest Cherry Friands
Ingredients
- 100 g (¼ cups + 3 tbsp) butter melted
- 2 egg whites
- 125 g (¾ cups + 2 tbsp) Black Forest icing sugar available from Sugar and Crumbs
- 25 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 85 g (¾ cups + 2 tbsp) ground almonds
- Handful of fresh cherries
- Dark chocolate to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the microwave and leave to cool for about five minutes.100 g butter
- Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until the soft peak stage. This will take about one to two minutes.2 egg whites
- In a different bowl mix together the Black Forest icing sugar, flour and ground almonds.125 g Black Forest icing sugar, 25 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), 85 g ground almonds
- Then add the melted butter. The mixture will look quite thick and lumpy, but it will be fine once the egg whites are added in the next stage.
- Fold the egg whites into the bowl with the icing sugar and ground almond mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into a friand tray and top each one with a couple of chopped cherries.Handful of fresh cherries
- Bake at 180℃ / 350℉ for about twenty minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean. (I put the silicone tray on top of a baking sheet to make it easier to carry.)
- Cool in the tray for a couple of minutes then press the friands out of the tray and leave them to cool on a rack.
- Once cool, melt a little dark chocolate in the microwave and use a piping bag to drizzle it over the friands. Enjoy.Dark chocolate
Stuart Vettese says
Thanks for taking the time to enter – a petite treat indeed!
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
I like that idea of black forest icing sugar. These look great. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Helen at Casa Costello says
Mmm what a clever idea that icing is. Love these little parcels of deliciousness! Thanks again for joining in with #Bakeoftheweek x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oooh these look so yummy! I love the black forest combination of flavours x #BakeoftheWeek