For starters, this is a gluten-free and vegan recipe. I had to get that out of the way first and foremost. Secondly, you might be asking, what is fig leaf, and what does it taste like? As the name implies, a fig leaf is literally the leaf of a fig plant. It has an herbaceous, grassy flavor, similar to a grape leaf, and it has been seeing more usage recently in pastry. I personally saw a fig leaf tea panna cotta, and that was what inspired me to look into what kinds of desserts I could make using dried fig leaf powder! It just so happened that I was gifted some fresh black mission figs, and that was what spurred the idea to pair the fresh figs with the dried fig leaves. In terms of the medium for how I wanted to do that, after I tasted the dried fig leaf, I knew going Mediterranean would be the most appropriate thing, and was wavering between either an olive oil cake with caramelized figs, like an upside-down cake, or some kind of cake or financier that paired fig, olive oil, and almond together. Ultimately, since I only had 6 fresh figs, I went with the safer of the two options, and went the financier route. But to make it less safe, I went with a gluten-free and vegan variation on a classic French financier. Financiers are these little almond-brown butter sponge cakes that are made with whipped egg whites. I substituted the brown butter with olive oil, and instead of egg whites, I am relying on the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar to bind the cake, and additional baking powder to leaven the cakes further. From a technical standpoint, these financiers are a lot easier to make than a normal one, since you don’t have to waste time with whipping egg whites or browning butter. I went with coconut flour and almond meal in mine, just to reinforce the nuttier notes in the almond flour, and almond milk, to again, reinforce the fact that this is an almond cake. The financiers are finished with a “snow” made from fig leaf, olive oil, and tapioca maltodextrin, just to give them that “covered in powdered sugar”-aesthetic, but without the cloying sweetness!

Makes 12 financier:
For the financier batter:
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 cups almond meal
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp blended fig leaf powder
6 figs

In a pot, mix the almond milk and cider vinegar together and allow that to sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Mix into the milk the other ingredients to form your batter, and allow your batter to sit for at least 10 minutes at room temperature, but for no longer than 20 minutes. Line the divots in a 12-cupcake tin with olive oil and distribute the batter evenly amongst the 12 tins. Slice 6 figs in half and press half a fit, flat side up, into each financier. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.

For the fig leaf “snow”:
1g ground fig leaf powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup tapioca maltodextrin

Mix the ingredients together to form a powder. Dust the financier with the powder to finish.