Chocolate Hazelnut Friands with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting by Sonali
Hello there! I’m Sonali from Sugar et al. This is the first time I am guest posting for someone in the 5 years I have blogged so you can imagine how I excited I am to be here. I’ve admired Kankana’s stunning and drool-worthy photography for as long as I can remember in foodie world. So when she asked me, I was like ‘Hell yes, I will!’ Thank you Kankana! Started my blog Sugar et al. when I moved to Australia 5 years ago. Leaving behind a successful career in banking, I suddenly had all this time at my disposal whilst the Australian fresh produce literally blew me away. I guess I was destined to start a food blog. I worked really, really hard and today I am fortunate to be able to turn my passion into a thriving career.
What are Friands ?
One of the things that I wanted to try when first I came to Australia were friands. I had seen them on baking shows and the idea of a cute little treat with nuts and egg whites hugely intrigued me. Friands are nothing but French financiers which the Aussies like to bake in oval shaped moulds. They are so popular that you will find them at local cafes and bakeries even if you don’t find muffins. Ever since, I tasted them and then baked my first friands (in the same week), I have created many versions of them and played around with every possible flavour I could think of. They are pretty versatile and most importantly an absolute fuss-free thing to bake. Generally friands are eaten plain but a little frosting does not hurt especially if it involves chocolate and cream cheese. It’s all about texture, right? Nutty, crunchy friands with a melt-in-your mouth decadent chocolate frosting. If you want to make these but do not have access to Friand moulds, a regular muffin pan would do. I have baked them in mini bundt cake pans too and they always come out perfect. I hope you like the recipe and give them a shot. MORE DESSERT IDEAS!
