This roasted rhubarb financier has become a favourite in our household. My boyfriend likes to remind me that there are three things his “dream girl” needs to be able to bake – apple and rhubarb crumble, carrot cake and sticky toffee pudding. Luckily for me, I’m a dab hand at all three. But I like to remind him that other desserts deserve the pedestal too. When mid to late spring rolls around, and the freshly cut stalks of rhubarb emerge firm and glossy from the forcing sheds, my mind is awash with recipes that give this beautiful vegetable pride of place.

What makes this roasted rhubarb financier so special?

There are a few reasons I love this tart and can guarantee you’ll love it too! Here’s what makes it so unbelievably delicious:

  • The batter is made with egg whites making it beautifully light.
  • The browned butter gives this financier the most gorgeous toasty, nutty flavour.
  • The vanilla sugar gives this tart a great finish – with slightly woody notes.
  • It holds its shape really well, so can be made for picnics and doesn’t need a fork to be eaten!
  • It’s super simple to whip up and is perfect as a dinner party dessert.

Forced rhubarb is hard to come by, so I tend to freeze or purée it into compote to enjoy throughout the year. The growing process produces a rhubarb that is beautifully sweet and more delicately flavoured with a stunning vivd pink hue and white fleshy centre. This financier is elegant and modest – a real showstopper for a spring dessert but understated in its excellence.

How should I serve this financier?

Personally I prefer eating this cold, dusted with icing sugar or a dollop of cream on the side.

Roasted rhubarb financier

As soon as my boyfriend saw the pink ribbons of rhubarb on this financier, he asked if he could have a slice – which soon became two. Perhaps it’s not just three desserts he loves after all? If you’re trying to convince someone to like something other than rhubarb in a crumble, I can pretty much guarantee {taste-test and all} that this tart is the one.

Roasted rhubarb financier

Roasted Rhubarb Financier

A light frangipane batter made with egg whites and browned butter, topped with strips of sugary roasted rhubarb.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

For the roasted rhubarb

  • 600 g rhubarb
  • 60 g granulated sugar

For the financier batter

  • 240 g unsalted butter
  • 122 g ground almonds
  • 122 g  plain flour
  • 288 g  icing sugar
  • 288 g egg whites
  • 20 g vanilla sugar or golden caster sugar
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and gentle grease a 9-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart ring.
  • Trim the end of the rhubarb and cut into strips about 5 to 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place on the baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Roast the rhubarb for about 15 minutes until it’s tender, but still has some bite and structure.
  • Remove the rhubarb from the oven and let it cool completely.
  • For the financier, lower your oven to 325F / 160C.
  • To start, place the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook until the liquid becomes a light brown colour and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan are a dark brown. Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter in a clean bowl to cool slightly. This should produce about 206 g of brown butter, caused by some loss of moisture. You might have slightly more than this in which case pour and set aside 206g of brown butter.
  • Meanwhile, sift the plain flour and icing sugar into a large bowl along with the ground almonds. Whisk to combine. Add the egg whites and beat with an electric whisk until everything is incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula {and give it one last stir} to make sure there aren’t any small pockets of dry ingredients lingering at the bottom.
  • Once the brown butter is no longer hot (warm is okay but you don’t want it scrambling anything!), slowly pour it into the almond and egg white mixture with your whisk on low speed.
  • Pour the financier batter into the tart ring. Arrange the rhubarb on the financier, layering the strips of rhubarb over each other a little bit. You can make whatever design you want, but I went with something simple. Sprinkle the vanilla sugar over top the rhubarb.
    N.B. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, you can use golden caster instead.
  • Bake for about 1 hr 15 mins until the financier is golden brown in colour and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it, but isn’t wet.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool completely. 
  • To finish, dust the tart with sifted icing sugar and serve by itself or with a dollop of cream.
Keyword almond, browned butter, financier, frangipane, rhubarb, roasted rhubarb

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2 Comments

  1. Reply

    Phyllis Stevens

    May 24, 2021

    Wonderful recipes

    • Reply

      Charlotte

      June 8, 2021

      Thanks so much Phyllis!

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