Roasted plum and almond financiers

If you can’t bear to throw away a bowl of egg whites after an ice cream or pasta making session, this is the recipe for you. It takes those whites and turns them into beautifully dainty, buttery little cakes, rich with ground almonds. The nuts keep them wonderfully moist and give them a delicious marzipan flavour that is utterly moreish. They’re based on the classic financier – a cake baked in a mould that resembles a gold bar, hence the name – but are made in a muffin tin, so no special equipment is required. Best of all, they come together in minutes – all you need is a large bowl and a whisk. You can flavour these cakes with any seasonal fruit – raspberries, cherries and figs are particularly good – but I love the drama of slivered purple plums, which turn jammy and delicious in the heat of the oven and pair beautifully with the tender almond crumb. You can even dollop spoonfuls of a good fruit jam on top of the cakes before baking, instead of using fresh fruit (again, cherry works particularly well), and these cakes can also be made gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of plain flour. Think of them as a blueprint for your wildest, fruitiest dreams.