black sesame financiers

so simple yet so complex

after making the salted cheese filling for my black sesame mantou, I had just enough leftover egg white to bake something small, nutty, and golden-edged—and these black sesame financiers were the perfect move.

crisp at the edges, tender in the middle, and packed with rich, roasted black sesame flavour, these are buttery little tea cakes that punch way above their weight

they’re perfect on their own, even better alongside tea (or with those buns, for the full sesame moment)

waste nothing, treat yourself

yields nine

ingredients

2 egg whites

72g brown sugar

50g black sesame powder

23g plain flour

60g butter, melted

method

add the egg whites (2) to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to form soft peaks

add the brown sugar (72g) and continue to whisk to soft peaks again

sift in the black sesame powder (50g) and flour (23g) and mix to just combined

stream in the cooled butter (60g) and stir to combine

lightly oil a muffin tin (or friand tin, financier tin, whatever you have)

fill each cup to about half full

preheat the oven to 190°C

bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown and crisp

let rest for 2-3 minutes in the tin, then pop out and let cool on a wire rack

best eaten warm, or within eight hours of baking (these don’t keep very well)