Matcha financiers a la framboise

Starbucks, Cafe Nero, ice cream parlours, restaurants, bars... Matcha is everywhere. The green tea powder has taken London by storm ever since the first few magazines featured this Japanese treasure a few years ago.
I am always curious to try something new, so guess what: I got myself some Matcha as well... a bit too much of it as it turned out. My first online order was delayed but since I wanted to feed my friends with green tea tiramisu, I embarked on a two hour long journey to a Japanese shop in Putney to get soma matcha. A few days later the online delivery came in... actually in time for my dinner party. Nevermind.
So I have got plenty of that stuff at home. Most recently I used it for making financiers.
I had my first financier in Bacchus, a sort of Gastropub in London which is famous for it's sous vide cooking. It came as part of the dessert. Before that, I had never heard of the term financier. I am very glad though that Bacchus brought this dense, moist, nutty little cake to my attention. The nutty flavour comes btw from powdered, toasted almonds and beurre noisette. So yes, there is a little bit extra work involved in making it, but it is well worth it.
Matcha financiers a la framboise, for 12 small cupcakes
For the financier
: 115g unsalted butter
: 35g flour
: 90g icing sugar
: 1 tsp matcha powder
: 3 lightly beaten egg whites
: 50g powdered almonds
: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
: pinch of salt

For the topping
: 2 tbsp single cream
: 30g white chocolate
: 4 tbsp raspberry jam
: 12 raspberries

Start by making the beurre noisette: melt the butter in a pan. Using a spoon, skim off the white foam (scum) that floats to the surface once the butter has melted. Let the butter bubble for a minute or two until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn brown: this is how you add both a nutty colour and flavour to the butter. When the butter has turned golden brown, sieve it through some muslin (or a sieve lined with a sheet of kitchen roll). You should be left with approx. 85g of beurre noisette.
Now toast your almonds. Spread out the powdered almonds on a baking sheet and allow to slightly brown in a hot oven. Alternatively, toast them in an oil-free pan on your hob.
Then mix together the almonds, flour, sugar, matcha and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and vanilla extract and fold in the lightly beaten egg ("lightly beaten" can mean anything from "still very liquid" to "almost stiff": the more you beat the egg, the more your financiers will rise).
Preheat your oven to 200 degree Celsius. Butter 12 mini-muffin or cupcake moulds. Fill them almost to the rim and bake the financers for about 11-14 mins until slightly golden on top. Leave to cool.

To make the white chocolate ganache, heat the cream in a small pan. Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour over the hot cream and stir until the chocolate has melted.
In a small pan, heat the rasperry jam until liquid. This will make it easier to spread the jam over the top of the financiers.

Now assemble your matcha-cupcakes: first, glaze your little cakes with raspberry jam. Leave to cool a little, then drizzle over some chocolate ganache and decorate with one raspberry each.