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Home » Gluten-Free Baking » Gluten-Free Cakes » Apple & Ricotta Stuffed Gluten Free Friands

Apple & Ricotta Stuffed Gluten Free Friands

By Georgina Hartley  •  Published March 12, 2015  •  Updated March 4, 2022

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These Apple and Ricotta Stuffed Gluten-Free Friands are deliciously soft and light, filled with lemony ricotta and caramelised cinnamon apples.

Some Apple Cinnamon Ricotta Friands sitting on a wire rack next to a bowl of caramelised apples this recipe

Table of contents

  • What is the difference between a friand and a financier?
  • How do you make a gluten-free friand?
  • What gluten-free flour should you use?
  • Why is this recipe so brilliant?
  • Equipment required
  • More gluten-free friand recipes

What is the difference between a friand and a financier?

If you have met a financier (the cake kind not the money kind) then you have met a friand, albeit in a different shape and from another country.

Financiers hail from France and are so-called due to their rectangular shape which was thought to resemble gold ingots. They are made with sugar, ground almonds, a kiss of flour and foamy egg whites, giving a lovely light and moist sponge.

The friand is made in exactly the same way, except in an Australian kitchen and baked in oval shaped tins rather than rectangles. So that’s basically why I chose to made friands instead of financiers – that’s the tin I have.

How do you make a gluten-free friand?

Because the recipe uses so little flour it is no effort to turn these babies gluten-free without losing anything from the original recipe. The flour is just there to bulk out the ground almonds rather than any grand alchemy taking place.

That is often the easiest way of creating gluten-free bakes - by adapting recipes which don’t rely on flour.

Some Apple Cinnamon Ricotta Friands sitting on a wire rack next to a bowl of caramelised apples

What gluten-free flour should you use?

When you’re using so little flour in a recipe like this then there is no shame in reaching for a regular bag of gluten-free flour, ready made from the supermarket. For this purpose I am more than happy to use Doves Farm plain gluten-free flour. I like it because it is reliable, easily available and contains no xanthan gum. Although you can use a brand which has xanthan gum if you prefer.

READ MORE >>> Why I never bake with xanthan gum

Why is this recipe so brilliant?

  • These apple friands are extra special from the teaspoonful of lemony sweetened ricotta which is dropped into the finished friand batter.
  • The garnishing of cinnamon spiked buttery apple pieces which are placed on top just before they go into the oven which caramelise into apple heaven. 

The creamy ricotta pairs perfectly with the buttery apple topping, making this a very simple bake but one that feels luxurious, delicate and of course gorgeously gluten-free.

Equipment required

I love this heavy duty friand tin as it turns out theses little gluten-free apple almond cakes beautifully and is the one I use all the time in my kitchen.

More gluten-free friand recipes

Blood Orange Buckwheat Hazelnut Friands
Gooseberry Custard Friands

A halved Apple Cinnamon Ricotta Friand sitting on a wire rack next to a bowl of caramelised apples

If you make these Apple & Ricotta Stuffed Gluten Free Friands then please leave a comment below and/or give the recipe a rating. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

Apple & Ricotta Stuffed Gluten Free Friands

Georgina Hartley
Soft and light gluten-free friands, filled with ricotta and caramelised cinnamon apples.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 12
Calories 377 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 apples - diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter - unsalted
  • 1 tablespoon icing sugar - powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • 160 g ricotta
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 250 g icing sugar - powdered sugar
  • 160 g ground almonds
  • 100 g gluten-free flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 200 g butter - unsalted, melted
  • 180 g egg whites - about 6 medium sized

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4 and butter a 12 hole friand tin.
  • Melt the 2 tablespoons butter then add the icing sugar, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice and then tip in the apple pieces.
  • Fry for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat just before the apples turn soft and leave to cool.
  • Mix the ricotta with the vanilla, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon icing sugar in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
  • Mix the ground almonds with the flour, the rest of the icing sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and salt together in a separate bowl.
  • Whisk egg whites in another bowl until light and foamy.
  • Fold the egg whites into the almonds along with the melted butter.
  • Divide the batter between the friand moulds, then top with a spoonful of ricotta mixture. Finally add a few apples to the top of each one.
  • Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.
  • Dust with icing sugar.

Notes

Apples. Granny smiths are a lovely apple to use for this recipe as they hold together well.
Flour. This recipe was tested using Doves Farm Plain White Gluten-Free Flour. However, you can use your favourite brand.

How to freeze

You can freeze these gluten-free friands by flash freezing them in a single layer on a baking tray for 8 hours. Once frozen transfer them all to a ziplock bag. You can then defrost one at a time. Allow to defrost completely at room temperature before serving.

Ingredient measurements

Please note that the US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results.
READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups 

Nutrition Information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
The nutrition serving is for 1 friand. 

Nutrition

Calories: 377kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 560IUVitamin C: 2.1mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 0.9mg
Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maureen says

    August 22, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    I live in the US and we don't have Dove's GF Flour here. I just looked it up and all I can find is a self-raising flour blend. Just want to clarify before I make these (they look amazing!!!!), do you use self-raising flour or a flour without leavenings?
    Thanks so much! Can't wait to give these a go (and sub another gf flour blend from the US).
    Maureen

    Reply
    • Georgina says

      August 23, 2018 at 8:51 am

      Hi Maureen, no I don't use self-raising flour as I like to control the raising agents myself. The recipe is quite forgiving in that you can use any gf flour blend in place of the Doves Farm, so you should be quite safe in picking an alternative blend, as long as it doesn't have raising agents or xanthan gum in it.

      Reply
      • Maureen says

        August 27, 2018 at 9:59 pm

        Awesome! Thanks so very much. Can’t wait to make these beauties!!
        xx

      • Georgina says

        August 28, 2018 at 8:23 am

        Let me know how they go!!

  2. Vicki Smith says

    October 28, 2017 at 7:16 am

    These are delicious! Will definitely make them again.

    Reply
    • Georgina says

      October 28, 2017 at 8:01 am

      That's great Vicki! Thank you so much for your feedback. I keep coming back to these again and again too.

      Reply

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About Me

Hello, so lovely of you to drop by. I am Georgina. I bake a lot, eat a lot and love writing about my gluten-free kitchen adventures here. I run a gluten-free cake business but am mostly kept busy with my 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 husband, 2 gorgeous sons and twin baby girls.

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