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Chocolate Friands
Friand is French for “small mouthful,” and these friands, like cupcakes, can be made from any cake batter. However, I think that if you are going to eat a bit of cake that is only two mouthfuls at most, it should be satisfyingly extra rich and moist and topped with a shiny chocolate glaze. These little cakes also make a perfect little party cake, as they can be baked in the cups they are served in.
Courtesy of "Tartine" by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Chronicle Books, 2006.
Ingredients
| 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped | 1/4 teaspoon salt | |
| 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter | 4 large eggs | |
| 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar | 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, for ganache | |
| 3/4 cup all-purpose flour | 2/3 cup heavy cream, for ganache | |
| 2 tablespoons cornstarch |
directions
Total:
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1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line up 24 mini-muffin-cup paper liners on a baking sheet, or butter and flour 24 mini-muffin-tin wells, knocking out the excess flour.
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2
To make the batter, place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until very hot. Pour the butter over the chocolate and whisk or stir until smooth. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in 3 batches, whisking well after each addition. Add 2 of the eggs and whisk until combined, and then add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk just until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
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3
Transfer the batter to a liquid measuring cup for pouring, and fill the cups three-fourths full. Bake until the cakes just start to crack on top, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, and then unmold them if you have baked them in the muffin tins and let cool completely. If you have baked them in the paper cups, just let them cool in the cups.
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4
To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the milk to just under a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the milk over the chocolate and let sit for a minute or two. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
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5
Make sure the friands are cool before dipping them into the ganache. Holding each friand by its sides, dip the top into the ganache and then shake gently to let the excess run off the side. Return the friand to the rack and let the ganache set up in a cool place for about 1 hour. I don’t recommend putting the friands in the refrigerator to set up if your kitchen is hot because condensation will form on the tops when you take them out, ruining the smooth look of the ganache. The only way to avoid the condensation is to place them in an airtight container before putting them in the refrigerator and then to leave them in the container when you remove them from the refrigerator until they come to room temperature, or to serve them right away.
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6
Serve the friands within a day of making, or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
notes
You can use a pastry bag or a tiny ice-cream scoop for filling the paper cups or wells, in place of the measuring cup. If you can find 1 1/2-by-1/2-inch glassine cups (or any similarly sized cups like those used for holding candies), you can use them for baking the friands, and they can be served in them as well.
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