Rhubarb friands
These delightful cakes will bring a touch of French sophistication to your table

Friands are made with ground almonds for a gorgeously grainy texture. These French treats are the perfect base for any seasonal fruit, but here, we've picked rhubarb.
Serve warm from the oven with cream or yogurt, or bake ahead and serve them at room temperature for a fabulouly French treat.
Ingredients
Makes 6
4.2 oz rhubarb, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 tbsp icing sugar
3.5 oz butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
5 oz superfine sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
3.5 oz ground almonds
3 medium egg whites
Zest of ½ orange
1.8 ounces pistachios, roughly chopped
2 tsp vanilla essence
The Homes & Gardens method
- Preheat the oven to 390°F, gas mark 6. Lay the rhubarb on a lined or non-stick baking tray (this highly rated set of two trays from Amazon will give you plenty of room). Sift over the icing sugar and cook for 12–15 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft and tender. Remove and cool.
- Brush a six-hole friand (or muffin tin like this one from Amazon) with a little melted butter. Sift the superfine sugar and flour into a large bowl and stir in the ground almonds. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites until you have a loose foam.
- Fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter and add the orange zest, pistachios and vanilla.
- Half-fill the tiers with better and add two rhubarb pieces to each. Cover with the remaining batter to just below the top of the tin.
- Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until golden and firm. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out (you might need to run a knife around the edges). Finish cooling on a wire rack and decorate with edible flowers just before serving.
These tasty French-style muffins can be kept fresh in a sealed container. If you're a fan of rhubarb you may also like to try this lavender and vanilla custard pudding with rhubarb recipe. It's tasty!
Sign up to the Homes & Gardens newsletter
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.
Katie is a food stylist, recipe writer and creative consultant who started out working with Anotonio Carlucci, before moving into a career in food magazines in London and went on to help set up the renowned River Cottage in Dorset, England. She now works on creative projects for global food brands.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
-
The Ninja Pro is just $99 in the early Memorial Day sales
This is the air fryer I trust most – and you may not find it for a lower price this sales period
-
'I hope one day, a vacuum robot can bring me coffee while I’m sitting on the sofa' – researchers just programmed a robot vacuum to do 4 versatile household tasks
Robot vacuums have the potential to do so much more than simply clean your floors
-
The best ever pizza dough and quick tomato sauce recipes – all you need for beautiful bases
Master the foundation of a perfect Italian-style pizza with this easy-to-follow recipe for homemade dough and rich tomato sauce
-
Mother's Day baking recipes – elegant, yet easy ways to celebrate
Planning a lazy lunch or afternoon tea for a special celebration? These bakes are stunning yet oh-so-simple
-
Celebration lemon cake
Dress this cake up for special occasions with seasonal or edible flowers, slices of fresh or candied fruit or macarons
-
Fig and ricotta tart with amaretti crust
Easy to prep ahead, this seasonal tart looks really impressive on the table
-
Meringue with cherry and apricot compote
Swap out the fruits we've chosen for your favorite home-grown produce and decorate with edible flowers from the garden, for a show-stopping bake
-
Apricot frangipane tart
It's a wonderfully simple and light but tasty way to enjoy the fragrant flavors of apricot over brunch, or as a dessert, and you can cheat by buying the base
-
Charred little gem with saffron dressing
This recipe with charred little gem is both easy to make and sure to impress guests. It's the perfect side for fresh spring menus
-
Grilled asparagus with herb and pickled red onion
This grilled asparagus couldn't be easier, and it's a wonderful way to get the best flavor from our favorite spring veg. It's perfect alongside fish or lamb