These vegan blackberry and orange friands are light, buttery and bursting with juicy blackberries and fresh citrus. Made with aquafaba and ground almonds, they're the perfect bake for blackberry season and afternoon tea. Get the recipe below.
One of the things I love about late summer walks is spotting the hedgerows overflowing with ripe, juicy blackberries. From August through to early October, country lanes, woodland paths and canal towpaths in the UK become the perfect place to forage for blackberries, and these Vegan Blackberry and Orange Friands are one of the best recipes to make with the berries gathered.
When foraging, choose berries that are glossy, deep purple-black and come away from the stem easily. It's best to avoid picking blackberries growing beside busy roads or at the very bottom of hedgerows where dogs may have passed. A gentle rinse once you're home is all they need before baking. If you're lucky enough to collect more than you can use, blackberries freeze beautifully! This recipe works with frozen berries too so you can make this recipe all year round.
Friands are delicate little almond cakes that originated in France. Traditionally they're made using egg whites, but aquafaba (the liquid from a tin of chickpeas) is perfect for creating a light texture while keeping them completely plant-based. Combined with nutty ground almonds, fragrant orange zest and juicy blackberries, these elegant little cakes are perfect for afternoon tea, brunch or as a light dessert. Finished with a glossy orange syrup and crunchy flaked almonds they are an impressive looking treat that are actually quite easy to make.
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Ingredients
The list of ingredients for these friands is quite straightforward. You'll need:
- Vegan butter
- Self-raising flour
- Ground almonds
- Icing sugar
- Oranges
- Aquafaba
- Blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- Flaked almonds
- Caster sugar
Ingredient Notes
Ground almonds are what give friands their signature soft, moist crumb and delicate nutty flavour.
Aquafaba replaces traditional egg whites. Whipping it until frothy introduces air into the batter, helping produce beautifully light cakes.
Blackberries can be freshly foraged, shop-bought or frozen. If using frozen berries, there's no need to defrost them before baking.
Orange zest brightens the rich almond flavour and pairs beautifully with the tart blackberries.
Vegan butter adds richness and the characteristic buttery flavour associated with classic friands.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1:Preheat your oven and brush a friand tin with melted vegan butter before dusting lightly with flour.
- Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients until well combined.
- Step 3: Fold the blackberries into the dry ingredients. Reserving 12 berries for decorating the tops.
- Step 4: Using an electric whisk, beat the aquafaba until it becomes light and frothy.
- Step 5: Fold the whipped aquafaba into the dry ingredients before stirring through the melted vegan butter. Mix until the batter is smooth.
- Step 6: Divide the batter evenly between the friand moulds.Top each one with a blackberry and a generous sprinkle of flaked almonds.
- Step 7: Bake until the cakes are golden, risen and spring back lightly when touched.
- Step 8: While the friands bake, place the orange juice and caster sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for several minutes until lightly thickened.
- Step 9: While still warm, spoon the orange syrup generously over each friand. Leave to cool completely before serving.
Hint: Don't overmix the batter after adding the aquafaba. Gentle folding keeps as much air as possible in the mixture, resulting in wonderfully light, tender friands with a delicate crumb.
Substitutions
- Citrus: replace oranges with lemons for a brighter citrus flavour.
- Berries: use raspberries, blueberries or cherries instead of blackberries.
- Sugar: demerara sugar can replace caster sugar in the syrup for a slightly caramelised flavour.
- Nuts: almond extract (0.5 teaspoon) can be added for an even nuttier flavour.
Variations
Mix things up a little with these variations:
- Pistachio Friands: Replace some of the flaked almonds with chopped pistachios.
- Chocolate Blackberry Friands: Fold 75g vegan dark chocolate chips into the batter.
- Earl Grey Friands: Infuse the syrup with an Earl Grey tea bag while simmering for a subtle floral note.
Equipment
You will need the following kit for this recipe:
- Friand tin (or a shallow muffin tin)
- Mixing bowls
- Electric whisk or hand mixer
- Silicone pastry brush
- Citrus zester
- Citrus juicer
- Small saucepan
- Cooling rack
Storage
Store the friands in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
They'll keep in the fridge for 5 days, although allowing them to return to room temperature before serving gives the best texture.
These friands also freeze exceptionally well for up to 3 months. Wrap individually before freezing and thaw at room temperature.
Top tip
If you're using freshly foraged blackberries, choose the ripest, sweetest berries for decorating the tops and use slightly softer berries chopped into the batter. This gives the best appearance while ensuring bursts of juicy fruit throughout each cake.
Frequently asked questions
A friand is a small French-inspired almond cake traditionally made using egg whites, ground almonds and melted butter. This vegan version replaces the egg whites with aquafaba while keeping the same wonderfully moist texture.
Aquafaba acts as a replacement for egg whites, creating lift and a beautifully light crumb.
Absolutely. A shallow muffin tin works well, although your cakes may be slightly taller.
The flour creates a light barrier that helps the delicate cakes release cleanly after baking.
Yes. They're often even better the following day once the orange syrup has had time to soak into the cakes.
The recipe
Vegan Blackberry and Orange Friands
Equipment
- Friand tin (or a shallow muffin tin)
- mixing bowls
- Electric whisk or hand mixer
- Silicone pastry brush
- Citrus zester
- Juicer
- small saucepan
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For the friands
- 70 g vegan butter melted, plus 5g for greasing
- 100 g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
- 175 g ground almonds
- 200 g icing sugar
- 2 oranges zest only
- 200 ml aquafaba
- 150 g blackberries fresh or frozen
- 4 tablespoon flaked almonds
For the syrup
- 1 orange juice only
- 3 tablespoon caster sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6.
- Brush the inside of a friand tray with the melted vegan butter and lightly dust with flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the self-raising flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and orange zest.
- If the blackberries are large, chop all but 12 into smaller pieces and stir them into the dry ingredients. Leave smaller berries whole.
- In another bowl, whisk the aquafaba until frothy.
- Fold the aquafaba into the dry ingredients, then stir in the melted vegan butter until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the friand moulds.
- Top each friand with one blackberry and a sprinkling of flaked almonds.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.
- Meanwhile, place the orange juice and caster sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until lightly syrupy.
- Spoon the warm syrup over the freshly baked friands and leave to cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
More afternoon tea recipes
If you're looking for simillar recipes you could serve as part of an afternoon tea, try one of these:
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