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    Home » Recipes » Small Cakes

    Published on Nov 6, 2014. Modified on Nov 10, 2024 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 15 Comments

    Gingerbread Friands

    102 shares
    • 2
    Jump to Recipe

    Gingerbread friands are a cross between sticky gingerbread cake and the little almond friand cake, brilliant for a simple bake in the colder months. Ginger lovers will adore them!

    Friand with a bite out of it, resting on another friand.

    Now that Halloween has passed, as well as Bonfire Night, my attention is now turning to Christmas.

    It does seem a long way off but it is only seven weeks until the big day! That does frighten me somewhat as well…

    For this recipe I wanted to cross the sticky gingerbread cake (not the biscuit version) with the friand, to create a richly flavoured small treat.

    Luckily, it had delicious results!

    For that rich ginger flavour I added dark muscovado sugar, golden syrup and ground ginger.

    I also changed the proportion of flour and ground almonds in the basic friand recipe (see my other friand recipes – Black Forest cherry and strawberry and lemon).

    Small ginger cakes on a round cooling rack.

    I would recommend these gingerbread friands for a chilly day when the zingy ginger flavour will warm you up.

    They are perfect with a Christmas hot chocolate or latte from your favourite coffee chain or made at home.

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you will need for the recipe – quantities are in the recipe card below:

    • dark muscovado sugar – or dark brown sugar
    • ground ginger
    • golden syrup
    • butter
    • ground almonds
    • plain flour
    • icing sugar
    • egg whites

    Method

    1. Melt the butter and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
    2. Whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk, until it reaches the soft peak stage. Whisked egg whites in a bowl.
    3. Place the dark muscovado sugar and golden syrup in a small bowl, and melt them together in the microwave. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Syrup/sugar mixture in a bowl.
    4. Place this mixture in a large bowl, and add the ground ginger, cooled melted butter, ground almonds, plain flour and icing sugar. Friand mixture in bowl, before mixing,
      Mix together. The mixture will be quite thick and lumpy, but once you add the egg white it will be fine. Friand mixture after mixing, before adding egg white.
    5. Fold in the whisked egg white carefully. Friand mixture ready to bake.
    6. Grease your friand tray (I used a silicone tray), and spoon the mixture into the holes evenly.
    7. Bake at 180°C for around 20 minutes, until golden brown and firm in the centre.
    8. Allow to cool slightly, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
    Little ginger cakes on a wooden board.

    More to try

    If you have a thing for ginger why not try these recipes too:

    • slow cooker sticky ginger cake
    • slow cooker gingerbread pudding
    • mini ginger loaves with berries

    Or for more small cakes like friands:

    • strawberry and lemon friands
    • pistachio and rose financiers
    • black forest friands

    Pin these gingerbread friands for later:

    Friands on a table.

    Recipe

    Friand with a bite out of it, resting on another friand.

    Gingerbread Friands

    Little almond cakes with flavours of gingerbread, ideal for a festive snack
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Baking
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 195kcal
    Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

    Ingredients

    • 2 tsp dark muscovado sugar
    • 1 tsp ground ginger
    • 2 tsp golden syrup
    • 100 g butter melted
    • 15 g ground almonds
    • 90 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
    • 80 g icing sugar
    • 2 egg whites
    UK Measurements – US Measurements

    Instructions 

    • Melt the butter and allow it to cool.
      100 g butter melted
    • Whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk, until it reaches the soft peak stage.
      2 egg whites
    • Place the dark muscovado sugar and golden syrup in a small bowl, and melt them together in the microwave. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
      2 tsp dark muscovado sugar, 2 tsp golden syrup
    • Place this mixture in a large bowl, and add the ground ginger, cooled melted butter, ground almonds, plain flour and icing sugar.
      1 tsp ground ginger, 15 g ground almonds, 90 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), 80 g icing sugar
    • Mix together. The mixture will be quite thick and lumpy, but once you add the egg white it will be fine.
    • Fold in the whisked egg white carefully.
    • Grease your friand tray (I used a silicone tray), and spoon the mixture into the holes evenly.
    • Bake at 180℃ / 350℉ for around 20 minutes, until golden brown and firm in the centre.
    • Allow to cool slightly, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
    Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

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      Strawberries and Cream Mug Cake
    • Blackberry Mini Bundt Cakes
    • Little madeleine cakes on a white rack.
      Apple and Cinnamon Madeleines

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Inger Cathcart says

      April 26, 2022 at 7:15 am

      Did you mean 150g ground almonds instead of 15g?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        April 29, 2022 at 8:24 am

        No, I used 15 g as there is more flour in this recipe than usual.

        Reply
    2. Choclette says

      December 01, 2014 at 8:22 pm

      I’m a big fan of friands and am quite envious of your properly shaped moulds. I’ve always done mine in muffin moulds. Love the idea of ginger in yours, they sound absolutely delicious.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        December 01, 2014 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks so much, they were fiery but very good!

        Reply
    3. Janie says

      December 01, 2014 at 7:25 am

      They are so pretty! Thanks so much for sharing with Tea Time Treats 🙂
      Janie x

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        December 01, 2014 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks Janie, and thanks for visiting 🙂

        Reply
    4. Ness says

      November 28, 2014 at 1:38 pm

      I do a love a friand and these look packed full of flavour. Thanks for linking up.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        December 01, 2014 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks so much Ness, it was a great theme for November!

        Reply
    5. Sarah (@tamingtwins) says

      November 27, 2014 at 2:40 pm

      I loved the look of these little beauties from first seeing them on Instagram, not reading the recipe I can almost smell the festive wafts of them! Thanks for sharing with #festivefoodfriday. x

      Reply
    6. Sarah James says

      November 25, 2014 at 7:57 pm

      Your friands look fab Lucy, I love the sound of ginger & muscavado sugar. #FestiveFoodFridays

      Reply
    7. Julie's Family Kitchen says

      November 13, 2014 at 2:20 pm

      Oh delicious, these sound so festive.

      Reply
    8. Helen at Casa Costello says

      November 13, 2014 at 10:48 am

      These are too cute! Love the photography too. Thanks so much for joining in with #Bakeoftheweek New Linky now open

      Reply
    9. Lucy Parissi says

      November 10, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      Yum! I love the idea of these little gingery treats. I think I need to invest in a friand tray (although my silicone muffin tray would probably work as well…) This recipe sounds great as an afternoon tea treat and definitely for Christmas which is approaching in alarmingly fast fashion! Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare

      Reply
    10. Laura says

      November 10, 2014 at 8:54 am

      Now these are something I haven’t seen before, a sticky gingerbread as an almonds friand. They sound perfect and just the thing to share as a little treat. Thanks for sharing them with the Biscuit Barrel!

      Reply
    11. joiedevivrebypia says

      November 08, 2014 at 10:39 am

      Perfect dessert for Christmas! Looks yummy 🙂

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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