This Blueberry Financier Recipe with Wild Blueberries yields cornmeal and almond financier cakes filled with a homemade cinnamon wild blueberry jam and topped with a blueberry almond glaze. These dense little cakes are typically baked in rectangle molds, resembling bars of gold, which is where the name comes from. I baked these in a cupcake pan for the convenience of the home baker.
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This year I discovered the magic of wild blueberries. On a whim, I picked up a bag of frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joes to stash in my freezer for a rainy day. I eventually made a quick compote to go on my weekend pancakes. With one bite, I realized wild blueberries are superior. The flavor is just so much more blueberry-ey? Even though the berries are smaller, they pack a bigger flavor punch than regular larger blueberries. I added cinnamon to the wild blueberry jam in the cakes to make the blueberry flavor pop even more. I adapted the base recipe from David Lebovitz, and swapped some of the almond flour for cornmeal for even more bite and flavor. The inspiration for the glazed tops comes from these pink ones I saw on Instagram from Honey & Spice Deli.
I make a lot of recipes that require egg whites only, like macarons and pavlovas. Every once in a while I will spoil some egg whites by accidentally popping a yolk into them while separating the yolks from the whites. You can't use yolk-tainted whites for meringue, but you can get away with it for financier cakes. So this is a great recipe to use up egg whites that may have a touch of yolk. It's also great for using up almond flour, also known as almond meal. So if you have some leftover after making macarons or frangipane, this blueberry financiers recipe is a great outlet for it. These lean on the sweeter side, so they'd be great paired with a cup of tea or black coffee.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- There's bold blueberry flavor from the jam and glaze.
- These stay moist for days.
- Brown butter brings a nutty flavor depth to the cakes.
Ingredients
- Almond flour, also known as almond meal or ground almonds, is the main ingredient in the cake batter.
- A bit of all-purpose flour keeps these from being too mealy.
- Cornmeal adds flavor and texture to the cake batter.
- Powdered sugar, also known as icing sugar, is the main ingredient in the glaze.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the cake base and the jam.
- Unsalted butter is cooked on the stove to brown the milk solids for a nuttier flavor. The melted butter, also called browned butter or beurre noisette, adds richness to the batter.
- Wild blueberries flavor the jam and the glaze. I used frozen, but fresh will work as well, if you can get your hands on them.
- Almond extract boosts the natural almond flavor of the almond flour.
- Egg whites provide structure and moisture to the batter.
- Ground cinnamon adds flavor depth to the jam.
- Kosher salt balances the overall flavor profile.
- Heavy cream adds moisture and richness to the blueberry glaze.
- Corn syrup (not pictured) brings shine to the glaze.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize these blueberry financier recipe with wild blueberries to your liking:
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- No cinnamon — omit the cinnamon in the jam without issue, or substitute cardamom or nutmeg.
- No almond extract — swap for vanilla extract or omit completely. If omitting from the glaze, you may need to replace with water to get the correct consistency.
- Hazelnut flour — use hazelnut flour in place of almond flour, if desired.
- Lemon zest — add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter. I recommend rubbing the granulated sugar with it to get the most flavor.
- Another pan — financier are traditionally baked in small rectangle pans to resemble gold bars. Feel free to use rectangle molds if you have them, or use mini muffin tins for smaller versions of mine. I used this cupcake pan with straight edges, but a fluted one will work too.
- Muffin liners — if you want to use muffin liners, I recommend spraying them with oil to prevent major sticking.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make This Blueberry Financier Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cavity muffin tin with room temperature butter generously. In a small pot, combine the wild blueberries, sugar, ground cinnamon and kosher salt. Cook until jammy over medium heat for 10-20 minutes, depending on your burner strength, stirring with a rubber spatula occasionally and keeping an eye on it. My gas burner took 20 minutes. My portable induction cooktop took barely 10 minutes. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the jam for the glaze. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step 2: Add the butter to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the milk solids brown. This can take 5-8 minutes. Keep a close eye as it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Promptly remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool for five minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour and kosher salt. Add the egg whites and almond extract. Whisk until combined. Add the browned butter and whisk just until combined. Fill the muffin tin cavities until ¾ full, reserving just enough batter to cover the jam. Add about 1 teaspoon of jam to each cavity. Cover with the remaining batter. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and carefully flip onto a wire rack so the tops cool flat (optional).
Step 3: Gently heat together the cream and the reserved tablespoon of blueberry jam. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove the jam pulp. Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, corn syrup and strained cream. Add more powdered sugar or water/extract, if needed. You want a thicker consistency so it doesn’t drip too much.
Step 4: Pipe or spoon over the cooled financier. Garnish as desired.
Top tips
- Use a light colored pot to brown the butter so you can see when the milk solids change color. It will be harder to tell in a dark/nonstick pan.
- If you need a recipe to use up leftover egg yolks, I recommend one of my ice cream or creme brulee recipes!
- You may need to increase the baking time if your oven runs cooler. You want a deeply golden brown exterior to ensure the middles are properly baked.
Recipe FAQs
Store financier cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
No, you can omit the cornmeal and replace it with more almond flour.
Yes, you can use regular blueberries. I highly recommend wild blueberries though!
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Blueberry Financier Recipe with Wild Blueberries recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Financier Recipe with Wild Blueberries
Equipment
Ingredients
Blueberry jam
- 1 cup frozen wild blueberries (134g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (54g)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Small pinch kosher salt
Financier
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon almond flour (120g)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon cornmeal (66g)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (270g)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (68g)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt half if using table salt
- 6 large egg whites (183g)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 9 tablespoon unsalted butter (126g)
Blueberry glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (132g)
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream (44g)
- ½ teaspoon corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Do ahead
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cavity muffin tin with room temperature butter generously.
Make the jam
- In a small pot, combine the wild blueberries, sugar, ground cinnamon and kosher salt. Cook until jammy over medium heat for 10-20 minutes, depending on your burner strength, stirring occasionally and keeping an eye on it. My gas burner took 20 minutes. My portable induction cooktop took barely 10 minutes.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of the jam for the glaze. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Brown the butter
- Add the butter to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the milk solids brown. This can take 5-8 minutes. Keep a close eye as it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Promptly remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool for five minutes.
Make the financier batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour and kosher salt. Add the egg whites and almond extract. Whisk until combined.
- Add the browned butter and whisk just until combined.
Bake
- Fill the muffin tin cavities until ¾ full, reserving just enough batter to cover the jam. Add about 1 teaspoon of jam to each cavity. Cover with the remaining batter.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and carefully flip onto a cooling rack so the tops cool flat (optional).
Make the glaze
- Gently heat together the cream and the reserved tablespoon of blueberry jam, either on the stove in a small pot or in short bursts in the microwave. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove the jam pulp. Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, corn syrup and strained cream. Add more powdered sugar or water/extract, if needed. You want a thicker consistency so it doesn’t drip too much.
- Pipe or spoon over the cooled financier. Garnish as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 08/14/2025.
