A day for financiers

Financiers are a type of small, buttery French cake — and they’re absolutely delightful! They are a tiny almond cake, usually baked in small rectangular molds, which makes them look a bit like gold bars. And that is exactly where the name came from. It is also the reason why January 24th is Yuwai Financier Day 結祝フィナンシェの日 (Yuwai). Let me explain!

When the pastry was created, in France, in the late 1800s, Parisian pâtissiers used rectangular ingot‑shaped molds. They looked so much like gold ingots that people started calling them financiers — a playful nod to the wealthy bankers and traders who worked nearby. Moreover, the cakes were particularly popular in the financial district of Paris, where busy bankers wanted a quick non messy snack. The name stuck because of that association.

Financiers are quite popular in Japan. Without overly advertising them, they seem to do a good trade. They come in other flavors too, other than the original almond. The one in the photo in this post is a matcha flavor financier, sold and popular in Kawagoe.