Have you ever heard of the chocolate Tiger Financiers? It is a very popular pastry from French Chef Cyril Lignac. The composition is very simple, a chocolate chip financier and a chocolate ganache hiding crunchy chocolate pearls. It might be this simplicity that makes the Chocolate Tiger Financiers so yummy. Or maybe the combination of the right ingredients.
When you bite into it, you have the softness of the ganache followed by the crunchiness of the chocolate pearls and chocolate chips. We use a “beurre noisette” [literally Hazelnut Butter or brown butter] which gives the flavor to the Chocolate Tiger Financiers. Do not skip this step as it really adds the special flavor to the cake.
For the ganache, I use Valrhona chocolate as it is one of the best in my opinion. To be more precise, I use the Caraibe chocolate. I buy it in bulk as I bake a lot but you can also find it in small pack to use for smaller recipe. You can use chocolate chips, but I like to use chocolate chunks as it give more texture to it.
When it comes to the shape of it, chef Lignac uses small Kouglof mold. Since I do not have them and did not want to invest in them at the moment, I used my savarin mold. Any mold having a cavity in the middle will do, this is where you will put your chocolate ganache, so do not worry if you don’t have the exact shape, do with what you have at hand.
This totally regressive snack is one of my husband’s favorite and he devours them when I make them. This is one of the few pastries he doesn’t want me to share with friends and neighbors. When it comes to the Chocolate Tiger Financier, he is totally selfish and will eat them all. This is how good they are.
So, without further due, I am sharing this delicious recipe with you. I hope you will enjoy it. Feel free to tag me if you try it and let me know what you think of it!
Chocolate Tiger Financiers
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Small Mold (Kouglof, Savarin, etc.)
Ingredients
For the Financier:
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 50 g almond powder
- 145 g powdered sugar
- 55 g pastry flour
- 2 g baking powder
- 1.5 g fleur de sel
- 150 g egg white room temperature
- 125 g chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 60 g whipping cream
- 60 g dark chocolate chopped
- Crunchy chocolate pearls
Instructions
- Cut the butter into pieces and place them in a saucepan (opt for a light-colored pan, you need to be able to check the color of the butter). Melt the butter over medium heat. Gently stir so it doesn’t burn.As the butter starts to sputter and foam, turn down the heat. Butter will change color from yellow to more golden, and then brown color. Once you have achieved a nice brown color and a hazelnut smell, you Beurre Noisette is ready. You can remove from heat and transfer into a bowl to cool down.
- Preheat oven at 175°C (347°F)
- Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, (or a spatula if you do not have a mixer), mix together the almond powder, powdered sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add little by little the egg white and then the brown butter. When everything is nicely combined, add your chocolate chips.
- Using a pipping bag or a spoon, fill the mold with the preparation. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Cool down in the mold for about 10 minutes and remove from the mold.
- Prepare the chocolate Ganache by bringing the cream to a boil. Pour the cream in 3 times on top of the chocolate, mixing with a spatula to create an emulsion.
- Once the financiers are cold, put some crunchy pearl in the cavity. Put the ganache on top of the pearl.
- Let it cool down and enjoy!
